Naruto: Altered Destinies
by Brenediction
Summary: On the night of the Kyuubi's sealing Kushina sets in motion a chain of events that will cause major changes to her sons future and the future of the world. Watch as Naruto is set on a path to resurrect the Uzumaki clan and coming to terms with the tailed beast within him.
1. Startling Revelations

**Chapter 1**

**Startling Revelations**

**Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto or any properties associated with Naruto**

XXXXXXX

For what felt like the millionth time Kurama cursed humanity.

Currently he was struggling against several powerful adamantine chakra chains that his former jinchuriki had summoned and used to bind him in place. Only a few minutes ago he had achieved his freedom. Freedom from being sealed and freedom from being controlled by that strange masked man. But as quickly as he had achieved freedom it was now being taken away from him.

He looked down at Kushina and her infernal husband, a blond man named Minato and saw them huddled over a small crib-like alter where they were preparing numerous seals. Even from this distance his acute hearing had heard their plan. They intended to sacrifice themselves in order to seal half of his power into Minato and the other half of him into that tiny little ball of flesh they called a son. When he saw the Hokage summon the Shinigami, he knew he would have to act quickly if he was to avoid being imprisoned once again.

Before he could do anything the Shinigami reached through the Hokage and he watched as the Shinigami's demonic hand reached out through Minato's chest and sped towards him and began to pull out his chakra. Kurama screamed in anger but there was nothing he could do, Kushina adamantine chains held him in place and prevented him from moving freely. He could only struggle helplessly as half of his chakra was sealed away within Minato.

"**Damn you Yondaime!"** Kurama yelled angrily as he felt his body weaken, half of his power was now gone and the results were immediate. His strength left his body and his body shrunk as a good deal of chakra had left him. However he felt several of the chains around him loosen, due to his size decreasing and Kushina drawing closer to death.

He saw the two parent's put their child upon the ritual alter as they prepared to seal what was left of him into the child. **"After all these years of imprisonment…I will not allow you fools to destroy my only chance at freedom!"** He yelled as he summoned all the strength he had, and used it to lunge his right claw at the child, in hopes of killing the baby before the ritual was complete.

Before his claw could reach the child Minato and Kushina blocked it with their bodies, impaling themselves on his claw and stopping it right before it hit the baby Naruto. Kurama tried pushing his claw in further but the remaining chakra chains prevented him from moving and the two people impaled on his claw kept their footing and wouldn't allow him to budge an inch.

He was forced to sit there as Kushina and Minato said their parting words to the child, and after they were done he felt himself slowly being sealed within the child. Before that however he watched as Kushina pushed herself off of his claw and fall against the ritual alter where her son lay. With the last of her strength she turned her body around so that her back was propped against the l alter so that she could look him right in the eyes.

Throughout all the years he was sealed in her, Kurama had always held a particular dislike for Kushina. Her brash attitude, how loud she was, her insufferable manner of speech, and numerous other mannerisms that drove him insane. Worst was that she always kept always kept him chained and imprisoned, never talking to him or using his power.

He was expecting her to glare at him or yell at him for attempting to kill her son. She had regularly berated him and blamed him for the mistreatment she suffered when she was younger. But for the first time since he was sealed in the girl there was no anger, or condemnation in her eyes. It confused him to no end.

Growing tired of her staring he decided to berate her. **"Your actions have changed nothing foolish woman. I will break out of your son the same way I broke out of you!" **Her facial expression didn't change and that only made him angrier. **"I will devour your child and then your previous village will burn in the fires of my hatred!"**

Kushina chuckled lightly, causing her to cough up a good deal of blood. This only made Kurama madder but before he could yell at her she spoke. "Even now…when you've been beaten, all you can do is rage against the world. Spewing out words of hatred and anger like a child who hasn't gotten his way." The second those words left Kushina's mouth Kurama made a jab at her with his claw but it was no use. The chains were still holding and he felt his power being slowly drawn into Naruto's body, making him smaller and weaker with each passing second.

"**You dare insult me!?"** Kurama tried again to jab at her but it fell short once again and he fell to the ground pitifully. Kushina looked at him with sad eyes, and Kurama finally understood what emotion her eyes were filled with.

It was pity.

Throughout his existence he had seen many expressions in the eyes of those who gazed upon him. Anger, hate, fear, and even awe. But never in his entire existence had he ever seen anyone look at him with pity before.

Kushina coughed up more blood, she felt her life coming to an end, but she needed to say these last few words to Kyuubi before she died. "When I was chosen to be your jinchuriki I cried day and night, fearing what would happen to me. I feared that you would take over my body or destroy me from the inside. But Mito told me the only way to overcome you was with love, she said that love would overcome your hatred. She hoped that I would be able to cure you of your hatred someday, that the love that filled me might go into you as well." Kushina felt her strength being drained with each word she spoke but continued on. "I failed to cure you of your hatred…but let me tell you this before I die. If you don't let go of that hatred…you will never find any sort of peace. You will only ever know pain and despair."

Kurama wasn't sure what to make of those words. Very few people had ever talked to him in such a way, Only Mito Uzumaki and the Sage of the Six Paths had spoken to him like this. He didn't know how to respond, so he fell back onto what he was comfortable with.

Anger

"**You know nothing foolish woman, nothing of the pain I have suffered, the injustice thrust upon me, you are and always have been a weak fool!"**

Kushina simply smiled sadly at his response and looked up at him with eyes full of pity. Kushina felt the life leaving her body and the last of her chakra going into Naruto, she turned her gaze once more onto the demon fox. "You're the weak one, you're the one who doesn't know what true strength is…and if you stay on this path you will never know love or friendship…I feel sorry for you." The second those words left he lips she breathed her last and died.

Kurama didn't have a chance to respond to those words because he was finally sucked into Naruto and sealed away. Leaving behind an empty field, the only noise coming from the newborn baby crying in its crib.

XXXXXXX

It had been eight years since he was sealed and Kurama was still angry about the events of that fateful night. No matter how much he tried to banish the words from his head they would never leave. Kushina's last words had stuck with him all these years.

"_I feel sorry for you."_

He raged against his prison and the seal that contained him**. "Where does she get off pitying me!? I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune, eldest of all the tailed beasts, the strongest being in this world, and the greatest natural calamity to ever exist and she dares to pity me!?" **

"_You will never know love or friendship…"_

Kurama had never put much stock into love or friendship. The closest thing he had ever felt to either of those was the small amount of kinship he felt with the other tailed beasts and his feeling towards the Sage of the Six Paths who was the closest thing to a parent he had ever had.

There was Mito Uzumaki, his first jinchuriki. She was soft spoken, kind and polite. But all she ever did was tell him to find tranquility and locked him in his cell. As if there was any tranquility to be found in this place. Although if he was honest with himself Mito wasn't all bad, he was just angry with her since she was the first person to truly manage to seal him. When he was eventually sealed into Kushina he gave up on humanity and the idea of peace after meeting that insufferable woman.

But Kushina's words now haunted him and made him think about his life thus far. For years he had gone across the world and brought ruin to areas that had been breeding grounds for the darkest aspects of human nature. Places steeped in war and conflict. That all came to an end when he was sealed within Mito Uzumaki. He had spent a good deal of his existence imprisoned within others. He had hated his jailors and the reasons they put forth for imprisoning him.

People like Hashirama Senju…

"_Nine Tails your power is too great. I cannot let you roam freely any longer."_

Mito Uzumaki…

"_If you use your power in such a way, only hatred will come of it. Stay tranquil while sealed deep inside of me and find peace."_

And Kushina…

"_Neither of us has any sort of luck do we? You keep the world at bay so now I have to keep you at bay."_

Thinking about his past jinchuriki made him think about his current jailor. Naruto Uzumaki, an annoying name if there ever was one. Kurama did have to admit it that watching a child grow up was vaguely interesting. His first container, Mito Uzumaki was a full grown woman by the time he was imprisoned and Kushina was already eight when he had been sealed into her.

It was times like these that made Kurama grateful he could see through his jinchuriki's eyes and hear with their ears, a mercy that Mito Uzumaki had added to the seal when she realized that having Kurama sitting in alone in his jail cell would make the beast even more hateful.

From what he saw, Naruto's childhood wasn't all that pleasant, even Kurama could admit that. The dislike and mistrust that had haunted Kushina in her youth had been passed down to her son. Adults would glare at him or ignore him, and children would bully him because they never got punished for it by their parents. Luckily most were too scared of the boy to do anything more than insult him. The worst that had ever happened was an old man throwing an empty sake bottle at the boy, which had resulted in a masked shinobi appearing and arresting the man. Most kept their distance after that.

Naruto himself was a fool in many ways. The lack of parents or any form of disciplinary figure had made him socially inept and rather dense. He also hated being ignored and would often pull pranks to get attention and recognition from his peers. For this Kurama was grateful because sitting in his cell was boring and the pranks were rather entertaining to observe through the boys eyes.

Could Naruto be the one that the Sage spoke of? Kurama highly doubted it. He didn't even like this line of thinking but no matter what he couldn't shake the thoughts from his head. His entire existence up till this point was nothing but destruction and imprisonment. All the things he had done with his life had only brought him ruin.

"_If you don't let go of that hatred…you will never find any sort of peace. You will only ever know pain and despair."_

Kurama let out a frustrated huff and sat down in his cage once more. The more he thought about Kushina's words the more they rang true. But after all he had experience in life he couldn't trust humanity. Not after what they did to the Sage.

He didn't fully understand love, but the Sage of the Six Paths was closest he had ever come to loving someone. He had been a pure soul, he had all the power of the world at his fingertips, enough power to be a God. Instead of using that power for personal gain he shared his knowledge of Chakra with the world, extolling peace, compassion, and charity. He hoped that people would find a way to understand each other by sharing chakra with each other.

Instead humans harnessed the power the Sage blessed them with as a weapon of war and began to kill each other. Seeing the Sages teaching's perverted and used in such a horrible way is what made Kurama hate humans so much. They had everything they needed to find peace and understanding but instead chose war and hatred.

Kurama drew himself out of such thoughts and looked once more through the boys eyes. Naruto had walked into his apartment, a nice but empty place. Naruto was currently eating ramen alone, he could feel the boy's sadness from here. Could this be the person the Sage spoke of?

Kurama let out another sigh and made up his mind. He would test the boy, perhaps this child would be the one to help him understand humanity and guide him down the supposed "Right Path" the sage always spoke of…either that or Kurama would simply take over the boy's body and use it to bring forth ruin to all of creation. Both options had merits.

"**Naruto Uzumaki…I'll have to see for myself if you are the one…"**

XXXXXXX

All he'd ever wanted was to be accepted.

That's all, nothing more, nothing less. Just to be accepted and to be acknowledged by those around him. Whenever he looked around at the cold faces of those who gazed at him, he wondered if his dream would ever be a reality. He saw their hate and their anger. He also saw their sadness, the glimmer of tears and the quiet sound of soft sighs almost lost in the bustle of the streets.

He didn't understand.

Why did they look at him like that? He knew that he never personally did anything so terrible, he would have remembered if he had done anything terrible to them. He may not be a genius but he wasn't stupid…well maybe not _that_ stupid.

He knew that he, that the sight of him made them sad, made them angry, made them want to do anything to make him go away, to disappear.

He refused to go away.

He chose to be aggressive, and unforgettable. He wanted to live, to live long enough to find people who could accept him. So he shouted, he laughed loudly, he dressed up in the brightest most eye catching shade of orange he could find and he ran about and raised all manner of ruckus just so they would remember him. And it worked for the most part. Most people would still sneer but now those angry gazes sometimes hid barely suppressed smiles, and some people even laughed at his more outrageous pranks. It was a good start.

But there were no pranks today, no chance to make people laugh. It had rained all day so Naruto had been forced to lounge around his apartment for most of the day. Naruto both loved and hated his apartment. On the one hand it was nice, quiet, and he had it all to himself. On the other hand it was empty, lonely, and didn't feel like home. When he was outside he could pull pranks, run around, eat ramen, or find someone who was at least neutral towards him. Sometimes he could even spend time with his Jiji the Sandaime when the old man wasn't busy doing paperwork or various other stuff a Hokage had to do.

At home he was alone with his thoughts, and that was something he truly hated.

He considered reading but he had already read every single book in his bookshelf several times over. He didn't have any friends to play games with or invite over. He would have normally turned to his ninja training as a way to kill time but tonight he just couldn't bring himself to bother.

Sighing to himself he finished off the bowl of Ramen he had been eating, took a shower and hopped into bed. He wasn't particularly tired but he soon found himself drifting off into a deep sleep regardless. Naruto was blissfully unaware of the seal on his stomach glowing.

XXXXXX

The sleep Naruto was in was not a restful one, and he soon found himself feeling particularly strange. When he woke up he found that he wasn't in his bed, he was lying down in a pool of water.

Before the young boy could even get his bearings and analyze his new surroundings a voice called out.

"**So we finally meet…" **

Naruto turned around and saw two large demonic red eyes staring at him behind large prison bars. Naruto would have run away but he was frozen in fear, the beast slowly inched towards the bars, revealing itself. He saw a giant Orange Kitsune with nine enormous tails swishing behind him. He had heard stories from the villagers about this monster and he knew that there was no other like it in the world. "You're…the Kyuubi!" Naruto managed to shout before his voice completely left him.

"**I see my reputation precedes me, I am indeed the Kyuubi no Kitsune, King of beasts, and greatest natural calamity to befall this world."**

After a few seconds of staring Naruto slowly began to find his voice once more. "But…you were killed… The Yondaime killed you eight years ago!" He looked up at the beasts red eyes._ "One of his eyeballs is bigger than I am."_ He thought as he truly began to see the demons size, a single eyeball was easily twice his height.

"**If that's true then maybe you're dead as well."** Kyuubi began to laugh, which caused all of the water on the ground to ripple like an ocean tide. **"If we are both dead it looks like we both pissed off some higher power to be locked in this terrible place." **

Naruto looked around and silently agreed with the demon. This place was a sewer, nasty water pooled on the ground and a constant dripping noise was heard throughout the place as small droplets of water fell from the ceiling. Naruto snapped himself out of his observations and looked the fox in the eyes. "I can't be dead, I was just sleeping in my apartment a minute ago, so where the hell are we really?"

"**We are inside of you right now."** The fox explained in a sinister tone. **"I am a being of pure chakra, which means I cannot be killed. I can only be contained, and even if my physical form is destroyed I will simply be reborn again after enough time has passed."** Naruto's eyes widened when he slowly began putting the pieces together, the fox saw the boy was slowly understanding and chuckled**. "That's right, your precious Yondaime wasn't able to defeat me so he sealed me within you the day you were born. I have been imprisoned here for eight years, watching the world through your eyes." **

Naruto didn't know what to say, he simply fell to his knees and started at the floor. Numerous thoughts were going through his head as he slowly began to come to terms with what was happening. The Yondaime had sealed a demon inside of him, the thought was so surreal. A demon had been sealed within him his entire life…and everyone knew it. They had to know the truth, which was the only explanation for how they treated him. Yet not one person had told him, not even the Sandaime who was like a Grandfather to him. Naruto's confusion and sadness quickly turned to anger, and he decided to direct it towards the person who had caused all of it.

"So…you're the reason everyone glares at me, why no one acknowledges me!" Naruto was becoming more upset as he spoke. "They hate me because of all the crap that you've done!"

The fox simply rolled his eyes at the child's accusation. **"That's right blame me for all your problems and woes. Blaming others seems to be a fairly typical human behavior, your own mother said those same words to me when we first met."**

Naruto's eyes widened upon hearing that. "Did…did you just say you knew my…mother?" Naruto could barely contain the emotions that welled up within him. All his life he had wondered who his mother was, if she had died, or if she had abandoned him. "I…have a mother?" Naruto repeated, still not believing what he was hearing.

"**Yes, you do in fact have a mother. A common occurrence with mammalian birth."** Kyuubi was growing impatient with the child. **"And yes I knew her well enough, an insufferable woman if there ever was one."**

Naruto's eyes lit up, all thoughts about his predicament and anger were quelled and replaced with a desire to know more. "Please tell me more about her. Was she pretty? What color were her eyes? Did she also like ramen?" Kurama had to suppress his frustration at the boy's questions. He wasn't here to play a question and answer game with the child. He was here to see if the child might be the one the Sage spoke of. So far Kurama wasn't impressed.

"**Listen child I did not go through all the trouble of bringing you to this place to answer every question that enters that pitiful little head of yours."** Kurama growled, making Naruto quickly shut up. The fox began to examine the boy closely, and he was not impressed. The boy was like Kushina reborn, the only thing difference was the blond hair and blue eyes of his father which only annoyed the fox more.

"**There's no way this is the one the Sage spoke of."** Kurama muttered to himself**. "Alright child, that's enough, you can leave." **Kurama waved his paw in a dismissive motion. Any fear Naruto had evaporated instantly and was replaced with anger.

"Oi who the hell do you think you are?!" The blond questioned angrily. "You drag me into this place, unload all this life shattering information onto me. Stuff like the fact I have a demon sealed in me, I have a mother, and that everything in my life has been a lie. Then you casually tell me to leave!?" Naruto was growing angrier with each and every word. "Where the fuck do you get off you dumb old fur ball you-" Naruto was cut off by a claw shooting through the bars of the cage, missing him by mere inches.

"**I owe you nothing, I only brought you down here because I was bored and perhaps out of some sense of morbid curiosity."** Kurama explained angrily. **"I wanted to see if you might be the one the Sage spoke of but it's clear you are just an annoying child."**

"I'm not annoying and who the hell is the Sage?" The boy questioned. Kurama let out a sigh, knowing that the child wouldn't leave or shut up until his curiosity had been sated**. "He was a man I knew a long time ago, he told me I would find a certain someone. I thought you might be that person, but from what I've seen from this conversation you obviously aren't him."**

"How the hell do you even know, you haven't tested me or anything. Regardless all of this is irrelevant. You still haven't told me about my Mother and I'm not leaving here until you do!" The boy declared stubbornly. Kurama was about to yell at the child again but he knew it would be pointless. He could see that Naruto was as stubborn as his mother. So he thought of another idea.

"**How about we make a deal brat? I will grant you any boon you wish as long as it is in my power to grant, if you can overcome a…challenge. Interested?"** Kurama asked, his voice suddenly becoming more soft and sinister.

"What kind of challenge?" The boy questioned, immediately suspicious in the foxes change in tone and attitude. The demon fox simply chuckled.

"**A simple challenge of will, allow me to explain."** Kurama cleared his throat as he prepared his explanation. **"In ancient times before the creation of ninjutsu**** there was ninshu****, it was a creed and religion as well as a peaceful precursor of modern ninjustu. It was created by the first one to understand and teach the mystery of chakra, ****Hagoromo Otsutsuki better known as the Sage of the Six paths****. The teachings of ninshu were meant to give people a better understanding of themselves, as well as others. This was done by Hagoromo distributing his chakra as a way of sharing people's spiritual energies with one another. It would allow people to understand each other without communication and pray for one another's safety. Those who are skilled enough can even share memories to connect on a deeper level." **

"That's a cool story and all but that doesn't explain the challenge you want me to take." Naruto interrupted impatiently, Kyuubi's lecture was quickly becoming as boring as a lecture in school.

"**I'm getting to that if you'll stop interrupting me!"** Seeing that Naruto was silenced Kurama continued. **"If you wish to make me grant you a boon you will have to connect your chakra to mine with ninshu. I will show you my memories and you will experience the full impact of my past, power, rage, anger, and hatred. These emotions and memories will course through your very being. If you can overcome my hatred as well as your own you will have beaten my challenge."**

Naruto respond for at least a minute, he thought hard about this challenge. "Oi I might not be the smartest kid around but I'm not that stupid. You just want to kill me don't you? You've probably been lying to me this entire time haven't you?!" He accused.

"**Lies are an invention of humanity, beings such as myself are above deceit. You need not fear death. If you were to die my chakra would be dispersed amongst the village and land of fire, where any idiot with proper sealing techniques could steal it. I would be more vulnerable than ever and it might take me a century to reform myself."** Kurama explained in a serious tone. **"But you are right to be cautious, if you succumb to my hatred or even your own, you might lose yourself in your hatred. At which point you would go insane and they would probably have to seal me up into another host."**

"Well that still sounds dangerous, why the hell should I do what you say?" Naruto didn't like the sound of going insane, he tried to hide his fear behind a mask of anger and impatience but inside the idea of doing this terrified him.

"**You don't have to accept the challenge, even I admit your chances of succeeding are next to zero**." Kyuubi offered. **"But overcoming this challenge is the only thing that will make me grant you a boon. If you succeed I would be forced to honor my word. I could give you the power to become Hokage, or I could tell you the locations of treasures that I have discovered over my centuries of existence making you wealthy beyond imagination…you could even make me tell you everything I know about your mother…and your father." **

"And just what the hell do you get out of all this fox? You don't seem the type to give out challenges or rewards." Naruto put forward, clearly suspicious of the demons motivations.

"**Believe it or not it does get rather boring in this cell. And there are few things more entertaining than toying with mortals and putting them through hellish challenges."** The fox answered. **"I won't blame you for backing out, almost all humans are cowards when faced with true hardship, looks like you are no different."**

That was the push Naruto needed. "Fine you stupid fox, I'll take your challenge and beat it easily. Then I'll make you grant my every wish." He declared proudly, all fear from before had evaporated and been replaced with determination. "So how do we do this? Do I need to make hand seals or what?"

Kyuubi reached out his arm through the cage, a single one of his claws began to glow red with his chakra and he lifted the claw in front of Naruto. **"Simply grab onto my claw and accept my chakra, it holds my memories and power. Last chance to back out kid, this isn't going to be fun…at least not for you anyway."** Naruto's response was to grab onto the claw with all the strength he could. The second he did he felt foreign chakra enter his system, it felt like every single cell in his body was on fire, and then he felt the memories flooding in.

He saw a small baby Kurama along with other tailed beasts sitting in a circle as a robed man spoke to them.

"_I will not live much longer…__ Shukaku, Matatabi, Isobu, Son Goku, Kokuo, Saiken, Chomei, Gyuki, Kurama. Even if you are far apart you will always be together. There will come a time when you will be united again. Each of you with a different name…and a different form then before. And unlike when you were inside me, you will be guided down the right path._

Numerous other memories began to flood into his mind. He saw the Sage departing from the tailed beasts. He saw people slowly creating ninjustu and using to fight one another. He saw each and every single one of the other eight tailed beasts sealed away.

But it wasn't what he saw that was difficult. It was what he felt. He felt the Kyuubi's hatred grow and grow with each passing event. He felt the anger, hatred, fear, sadness, and pain with each memory and the emotions threated to consume him.

Before Naruto could see more the landscape suddenly changed. He suddenly found himself in the middle of a city being pillaged by Shinobi. Once tall buildings were burnt out husks, gardens and temples were destroyed and the streets were soaked with blood. People were being slaughtered, by kunai, Justus, and numerous other horrible tools of war. He saw a young girl crying over the body of her mother. He saw people committing every atrocity imaginable to one another.

"**This is the real world child, this is what you will turn into when you become a shinobi."**

Naruto saw a masked Shinobi land next to the little girl and he had to watch as the shinobi stabbed her through the heart with a kunai. The life drained from her face and she fell to the ground. Then another shinobi appeared and murdered the Ninja before he could even clean the girl's blood off of his kunai.

"**They fight each other in an endless cycle of hatred. From what I've seen humans are the closest things to actual demons in this world. Yet they would call me a demon and imprison me…they are nothing but hypocrites."**

The landscape changed again. Naruto was standing in the middle of a battlefield. Crows were circling overhead, preparing to feast upon the dead. Bodies lay on the ground, beyond count and every piece of soil was soaked in blood. He looked at his hands and found them soaked in blood as well. Above it all he saw a demonic fox, reveling in death and destruction.

"**Do you see now child? This is what I am, I am a reflection of this world. I am this world's hatred incarnate!"**

Naruto shuddered as he felt hatred flow into every part of his body, but he refused to give in. "This is nothing Fox, you can't beat me so easily, you might have given up hope and given into hatred but I never will!" In truth Naruto was barely holding on to his sanity. The chakras hatred and power alone was overpowering but combined with the horrible things the Kyuubi was making him see and feel made it a tortuous thing to experience.

"**You are strong child, but strength alone will not save you from yourself." **

Once again Naruto saw the landscape change, he was no longer in a blood soaked field, or even a city. Instead he found himself standing in a grassy field on a moonlit night. There was no death or destruction in sight and for a moment he could rest.

"We have to do this Kushina, there is no other way."

The voice came from behind him so Naruto immediately spun around and his eyes fell upon a man who was standing in front of an alter performing hand seals. The man had blue eyes and spiky, blond hair and he wore the green flak jacket of a Konoha shinobi. But what truly drew Naruto's attention was the coat he wore. It was white and decorated with red flame-like motifs on the edges. Every single child who ever wanted to be a shinobi in Konoha would recognize that coat. It was famously worn by the Yondaime, and looking again at the man's face he was a dead ringer for the face carved on the Hokage monument.

"Minato please…you can't do this." The woman next to him was kneeling on the ground, she had lovely red hair but she was also covered in dirt and grime, as if she had been in a battle. But what drew Naruto's attention was the numerous glowing chains sprouting out of her back. His eyes looked to where the chains led and saw the Kyuubi towering over them in the distance. He was chained up and fighting to get free.

"This is the night the Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi into me." Naruto looked over to the small alter behind the two shinobi and saw a sleeping baby with a small patch of blond hair on its little head. "That's me…why would the Kyuubi show me this?"

"Minato please, we can't do this to him, Naruto shouldn't have to bear such a heavy burden." Kushina pleaded. But Minato continued his hand seals until he summoned the Shinigami.

"He is our son Kushina…Lets believe in him."

The world seemed to stop when Naruto heard those words, everything stopped. "Did he just say…son?" Naruto uttered, not believing what he was hearing. He fell to his knees, unable to truly process what he had heard.

"**Didn't you say you wanted to know more about your parents?"** The Kyuubi said slowly, allowing himself to drink in his hosts pain and anguish. **"That's right child, your precious Yondaime was also your father, yet he still sealed me within you all the same. Leaving you alone in this world to fend for yourself…in fact let's go forward a bit to my favorite part of this night."**

Naruto heard the Kyuubi's words and it began to fill him with rage. Rage at the fox and at his parents. But he ignored the fox's words in favor of watching what was going on in front of him.

He watched as his father sealed up the first part of the Kyuubi's chakra. He watched in horror as the Kyuubi got loose from his chains and jabbed its clawed arm towards his toddler self's sleeping form. Naruto had to suppress a gasp when he saw both Minato and Kushina block the claw with their own bodies, impaling themselves in order to save him.

"You…you killed them…" Naruto whispered under his breath. "You killed my parents…" He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe, and all he could do was watch as his parents slowly died upon the Kyuubi's claw.

"**That's right child. I killed them, and I would do so again in a heartbeat if it meant I could avoid being sealed within a brat like you." **Naruto ignored the fox in favor of gazing at his parents as they died.

"Dammit Kushina, I'm his father. It was my duty to die for him." Minato said as he gazed at his wife's impaled form. Kushina simply let out a dry chuckle. "I'm his mother, that means it's my right too." Was her response.

Minato simply shook his head at his wife's stubbornness and decided to carry on. "I'm going to seal up what's left of our chakra into Naruto, then perform the sealing. So let's tell Naruto…what we want to say to him…before we depart this world." Minato choked out as he began to feel the blood loss. Kushina nodded and began to say her parting words to her son.

"Naruto…listen to your mother. Don't be a picky eater…eat a lot of food and grow up big and strong. Make sure to bathe everyday…and stay warm…Don't stay up late…get plenty of sleep." She stopped for a moment to regain her composure. Tears were streaming down her face and she had to hold back her sobs. "Plus make plenty of friends, you don't need tons…just a few that you can really trust is enough. And…your mom was really bad at this…but study hard…and learn your ninjustu. Just…everyone is good at some things…and not so good at others, so don't get depressed okay?"

Naruto tried his best to hold them back but tears were streaming from his eyes as he heard his mother speaking to him.

"And regarding the three prohibitions…be extra careful about loaning and borrowing money. Make sure you save money from your mission pay…and don't start drinking until you come of age, and be sure to drink in moderation…and the most problematic of all…girls…I'm a girl so I don't know much about this but…its natural for you to take an interest in women when your older. Just don't fall for the first girl that comes your way. Find someone who will love you no matter what. Find yourself a good girl…Find someone just like me…also be wary of Jiraiya sensei, make sure he doesn't turn you into a pervert." Minato smiled at his wife's words.

"Naruto… you're going to experience a lot of pain and suffering. Remember who you are! Find a goal… a dream… and don't stop trying until it comes true. There's… there's so much more that I want to say… to teach you… I want to stay with you… I love you." Kushina began to break down into tears but soldiered on. "There's so much more I want you to know, but just know that I love you…I'm sorry Minato it looks like I took up all of your time."

Minato simply smiled. "It's okay Kushina… Naruto… This is your dad. Listen…Listen to everything your motor-mouthed mother just said…and know that I love you."

The memory faded from view, and Naruto soon found himself in a white expanse of nothingness.

He didn't care about the change in scenery, all he wanted was to let out his rage.

"They were my parents…they loved me…and you killed them!" Naruto yelled, hoping the fox would hear him. The demon did not disappoint.

"**Tell me child, how did it feel to stand on the very ground that ran with your parents blood? How did it feel to watch them die? Do you feel sad, or perhaps you feel angry knowing that I'm the reason that you are alone in this world?"**

Naruto felt the rage that he had been suppressing throughout this entire challenge boil inside of him. He saw red cloud his vision as his body began to coat itself in red chakra. **"You murdered them!"** Naruto's voice hard turned dark and sinister as he felt anger cloud his mind.

"**That's right child, give into your hate like countless others before you. Hate is the only thing that matters in this world of shinobi. This world is nothing but a cycle of hatred, a mad machine of rage, and beings like us are nothing but cogs in that machine."**

Naruto felt the rage boiling inside of him, but before it could reach its peak he felt a calm hand on his shoulder.

"That's enough Naruto, don't let that dumb old fox get to you."

Naruto turned around, ready to strike at the person who had touched him. Instead his eyes met the face of a red haired woman, who was smiling lovingly down at him. The red Chakra around him began to dissipate and his rage left his body. "Mother?" He asked, not believing his eyes. The woman nodded happily. "How?"

"Before the Kyuubi was sealed your Father and I sealed our remaining Chakra into you." Kushina looked at the adorable face of her son. "Naruto..." She couldn't find the words she wanted to say, but it didn't matter because she felt a pair of small arms wrap themselves around her midsection and a small face bury itself into her stomach.

"Mom…" Naruto muttered as he shoved his face into her stomach. Kushina smiled down at the small form of her son. "Naruto…you've grown so much, and you have your father's lovely hair, I'm just sorry that you ended up getting my looks." She said as she gently grabbed the sides of his head and locked eyes with him.

"What the hell are you talking about mom? I got your pretty looks that means I'm handsome right?" Naruto asked, he didn't understand his mom's words. As far as he could see she was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. "I bet I'd look even better if I had your beautiful red hair."

Kushina simply laughed. "Oh Naruto…you're the second man to ever compliment my hair."

"Who was the first?" he questioned.

Kushina smiled. "Your father of course." Naruto had a million questions running through his head about his mother and father. "How did you guys meet? What's your favorite food? Was it love at first sight?" Kushina smiled at the young boys questions.

"Ill answer as many as I can Naruto."

So the two of them sat there for a long time as Kushina answered every single question Naruto threw at her. She told him about her past, how she met Minato, how he had saved her life by following strands of her hair. She answered them all. Kushina made sure to detail the events of that fateful night where the masked man attacked her, warning Naruto of the future danger he might face. She also learned about her son's life and couldn't help but frown. She knew the villagers would be cold but she thought Sarutobi would have provided better for Naruto. He was certainly better off than most orphans but she was still angry. But she held back her anger and looked down at her son. He was only eight years old but she still hated the fact she missed out on those years, there was so much more she wanted to teach him, but they were running out of time.

"Naruto, I know you still have a million things you want to talk about, but we don't have much time left. I've been blocking off the Kyuubi and his chakra this entire time to make sure he can't see or hear us."

Naruto suddenly remembered the fox and his expression became angry once more. "That stupid fox, I'll never forgive him for taking you and dad away from me, the second I get out of here I'm kicking his ass!" he declared, he saw his mother's expression sadden and became confused.

"Naruto…I understand why you hate him. I would have said the exact same thing in your position…but you have to let it go. Hatred will not overcome the Kyuubi, only love can possibly defeat him." Kushina offered as she wrapped her arms around her son.

Naruto didn't understand. "How can I? He took you and dad from me, and even before that he was a bastard, how I can I just let that go?" He asked. "All he's ever done is destroy things."

"Naruto you of all people should know better. I've been watching you this entire time, you saw his memories and feelings. Do you remember what you saw and felt?" Kushina questioned, she saw Naruto's face become thoughtful as he remembered all that he had seen.

"I saw his past, I felt his hatred, anger…and pain."

"Exactly Naruto, he is in so much pain. All he knows is pain, hatred, and rage. You have to show him there's another path." Kushina's eyes saddened as she remembered her early life. "When he was sealed in me I refused to speak to him, I hated him but I overcame it by filling myself up with love. I didn't even think about what Kyuubi must have been feeling. Too late did I realize that all the time I spent pushing him deeper into the seal and away from me I was also making him angrier and lonelier."

Kushina tightened her grip on her son. "You saw it for yourself. He's angry at the world for what they did to the Sage of the Six Paths. He was the last of the tailed beasts to be sealed, he had to watch as each of his siblings were imprisoned and used as tools for war. All he has ever known from humanity is war and prejudice. You have to be the one to show him there's more to life than just that."

"How?" Naruto asked, he didn't know how he was supposed to overcome a giant demons hatred.

"By example, if there's no room in your heart for forgiveness and love how can we expect there to be any in his? You have to give him your eyes so that he can see and your heart so that he can love, do you understand Naruto?" Naruto was silent for a few seconds but finally nodded.

"Good, you have to be the one to open his eyes, the way I never could. He believes that the world is irredeemable, but he is wrong. You have to show him that love is stronger than hate, that acceptance is stronger than fear, and show him forgiveness so that he can learn to let go of his past."

Kushina looked at Naruto and couldn't help but start crying. "I'm sorry Naruto, for putting such a burden on you, I wish I could talk more but my times almost up, you have to go back." Naruto's eyes widened and he ran up and wrapped his arms around her once more, refusing to let go.

"Please don't go! I'll do anything just please don't go mom, there's so much more I want to tell you, so many questions I need to ask!" Kushina wrapped her arms around her son. "Naruto I'm going to tell you a few precious words that I only say to men who compliment my hair." She locked eyes with her son once more. "I love you."

"I love you to mom, I just wish we had more time." Naruto said between sobs.

"Naruto a part of my chakra will always be with you, I will never truly be gone. I need you to know that every moment you love being yourself, that's me, loving you. So no matter what, always love who you are."

Naruto looked up and saw his mother slowly disappearing. "I promise mom, I promise I will." She smiled once more before she disappeared completely.

Naruto was alone once more. But the hatred and anger that had once been within him was gone. He felt serene. He knew he had parents and he knew they loved him. That was enough.

He suddenly found himself back in the sewer, holding onto the Kyuubi's claw. The fox was staring at him with wide eyes, a look of amazement and confusion etched on the kitsune's face.

"**This is impossible."** The demon uttered, completely baffled. **"I can't sense any hatred…how is it possible?" **

Naruto grinned a big toothy grin. "Looks like I beat your challenge after all!" He yelled happily. "And I've never felt better in my entire life."

"**That shouldn't be…You should have succumbed to your anger. I murdered your parents, I'm responsible for all the pain you've suffered…how are you not filled with anger? I scarred you for life."**

"That's the thing Kyuubi, scars heal."

"**Scars don't heal you imbecile, wounds heal!"**

"Well then scars fade I guess, whatever, that's not the point!" Naruto calmed himself down, it wouldn't be good to get frustrated right now. "I mean I was angry with you for a while, but then I remembered all the things I saw you go through. I realized that we are really similar, and that hating you was pointless." He looked at the fox and met his gaze. "I just want you to know that I forgive you."

"**You…forgive me?"** The fox questioned not quite believing what he was hearing. **"I still don't understand, I ruined your life…how could you have possibly forgive me, let alone find peace?"**

"I was able to find peace by letting go of my anger. I realized that I had to let go of the past because it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is who I choose to be right now. And I'm choosing to forgive you. You need to learn to let go of the past or it will ruin your future." Naruto stated calmly, He had never felt like this before. He was at peace. It was like his mother's love had cloaked him and let him see the world in a whole new manner. "Besides if it wasn't for you I might have never known who my parents were. I'm so glad to know that they loved me, they loved me enough to sacrifice themselves to save me."

Kyuubi was silent for a long time. He simply couldn't come to terms with what had happened. Everything he knew about human nature was being turned on its head.

"**Enough!"** Kyuubi roared, sending shudders throughout the room and causing the water on the group to flow around, like a rough ocean tide. **"You have given me much to think about Naruto Uzumaki…but now you must claim your reward and leave me in peace to think. So what is it you desire? I'm a creature of my word and I will grant you any boon you wish." **

"Do you really mean anything?" Naruto asked, awe evident in his voice.

"**Anything within my power to grant. I am sealed away after all."** Kyuubi gestured to the seal upon his cage**. "So what will it be? Power, wealth, knowledge? I did show you your parent's deaths and who they were but I still have knowledge of your mother's entire life."**

Naruto became contemplative and he thought long and hard about what he wanted. "Well I want to become Hokage but I think that's something I can do on my own strength. Wealth is always nice but as long as I have a roof over my head and ramen to eat I'm happy, and while I would like to know more about my mother, it's enough to know that she loved me." He thought long and hard and finally he knew what he wanted. "But there is one thing I've wanted my entire life, something I've never had before…"

Kurama was becoming impatient and wanted the kid out of here so that he could think**. "Out with it brat, just because I'm immortal doesn't mean my times not valuable."** He growled impatiently.

"I've always wanted a friend." Naruto stated happily. The Kyuubi simply huffed at his statement**. "I can't create life or hypnotize people into liking you, ask for something else." **

Naruto began to laugh. "I don't want you to make me a friend or hypnotize someone into liking me. I want you to be my friend!" He declared happily. As if Kyuubi wasn't shocked enough by today's events he was floored now.

"**You…want me to be your…friend? Me? The demon that murdered your parents?"** Kurama asked, he couldn't understand this child. He never even imagined a human ever wanted to befriend him much less his own Jinchuriki. **"You realize how dumb you sound right? You want to befriend a tailed beast."**

"Beast or person it doesn't matter, we are all just people. I just want someone to talk to and joke around with. Besides I think we have a lot in common." Naruto's simple logic made total sense to the boy but it baffled Kurama to no end.

"**We have nothing in common child, I'm an ancient and powerful being while you're an eight year old ramen obsessed imbecile. You should have made a more reasonable request. Like Eternal life, or to be Hokage of the universe!"**

"We totally have things in common, the world hates both of us for really stupid reasons, we are both lonely, orphans, and your fur is my absolute favorite color. Orange!" Naruto declared happily while pointing towards the beasts orange fur coat.

"**Those are the dumbest reasons I have ever heard!"** Kurama yelled angrily. **"Also I'm not lonely, and I'm not an orphan!" **

"You are lonely, I felt all of your emotions when we were linked up through ninshu, so it's pointless to lie to me. I also saw your earliest memory with the Sage, since he's dead you are totally an orphan." A sudden realization hit Naruto. "Also I saw what you looked like when you were a baby. You were adorable! Like a little chibi fox, with big fluffy ears, you even had fat little paws and-"Naruto was cut off by the Kyuubi ramming his arm through the cage and attempting to take the boys head off.

"**You shut your ignorant mouth!"** Kurama yelled, he sounded angry but Naruto could detect the faintest hint embarrassment in the fox's tone and he thought he might have seen a blush beneath the fox's fur. **"I was never cute, my ears are not fluffy, and my paws were never fat!"** Kurama stopped himself before he completely lost his composure.

"Look whatever, you have to grant me a boon, and I want you to be my friend. Unless you're going back on your word…" Naruto let that hang in the air, he knew that the Kyuubi was far too prideful to break his promise.

"**Fine brat, if it gets you out of here I will be your…friend…"** he practically spat the last word out. Naruto nodded and reached out his hand towards the fox, causing the fox to tilt his head in confusion.

"**Why are you holding out your hand?"** he asked, genuinely perplexed.

"It's a handshake, it seals a deal." He said factually.

"**Well my hand is larger than your body you moron, I can't shake your hand with my clawed hands." **Naruto saw that it was a problem and raked his brain for a solution. He remembered kids on the playground having many types of secret handshakes but none would work in this case. Suddenly the answer struck him. He pointed his arm towards Kyuubi and closed his hand so that it was a fist.

"Here we go, it's called a fist bump, I saw some kids do it a while ago, it's like a handshake but easier. Just bump your fist with mine!"

"**I'm not doing that, it's ridiculous."**

"You promised! My request was that you be my friend and friends fist bump each other!"

Kyuubi glared at the boy but still copied the boy's motion and lightly bumped his fist with the child's. He felt like an idiot but it seemed to placate the child.

"Alright, now we're friends!" Naruto declared happily, he suddenly remembered something important. "Oi Fox, what's your name? I remember the Sage naming all the beasts in your memory but there were so many, which one of the names was yours?"

"…**Kurama."** He answered after a few seconds. Nobody had ever asked him for his name before, and it felt strange saying it out loud. Not even Mito Uzumaki had asked him his name in all the years he had been sealed in her. **"My name is Kurama." **

Naruto smiled. "That's a good name, I'll be sure to remember it." The boy looked around the cell and began to think. "Is this cell always this crappy? I mean I know you're supposed to be imprisoned but this just sucks." He said, gesturing to the sewer like room.

"**It's controlled by your mind, the seal was designed to give you dominion over everything here, probably so that you could modify the seal and strengthen it as well as use the landscape to better fight me should I ever weaken the seal. When I was sealed in Mito she made this place a garden in hopes it would calm me. Kushina made it into a large canyon like area to give me room to stretch, the only nice thing she ever did for me." **

Naruto understood and began to focus his mind on the area, imaging a large verdant field full of life, after a few seconds the ground changed, the sewer disappeared and both he and Kurama were now standing in a beautiful field of endless grass and flowers. Naruto began to focus on little details, adding in insects, trees, a small river and waterfall. Kurama was silent as he watched the boy work, not understanding his actions.

"There we go, that's much better!" The blond declared happily whilst inspecting his work.

"**Why did you just do that?"** Kurama asked curiously. **"Why go through all this effort for me?"**

Naruto scratched his head sheepishly. "Well we are friends now right? Friends do nice things for each other."

"**Hmm I've never had a friend so I wouldn't know…I guess I owe you a favor." **

Naruto shook his head. "You don't owe me anything, friends just do stuff for each other without expecting something in return, man I really need to show you the ropes don't I?"

Kurama just snorted**. "Whatever brat, you should probably get out of here, I'm tired and I'm sure you're tired as well. Besides you still need to explain everything that's happened to the Hokage." **

Naruto cocked his head quizzically**. **"Why would I need to speak to the Hokage? I'm not due to see him for at least another week."

"**I might have tried to assume control of your body while you were overcome by anger about your parents. The chakra I released attracted attention and now you're in a hospital room under heavy guard as doctors try to figure out what's wrong, luckily you overcame your hatred before I even managed to take control of a finger." **The fox ignored Naruto's glare in favor laying down on the grassy field Naruto had created. **"But since I'm now your friend I'm sure you can find it in your heart to forgive me. after all that's what friends do isn't it?"** Kurama said lazily as he laid down to rest on the newly formed field of grass, and enjoying the annoyance of his jinchuriki.

Naruto had to suppress the desire to turn the entire field into a giant cesspool.

"Kurama…this is going to be a _very_ interesting friendship…"

XXXXXXX

**Authors Note**

My first Naruto story and I know its a bit cliche but there's been so many Naruto stories its hard not to fall into tropes.I wished to write a story where Naruto and Kurama are set upon a path to understanding each other, and the only way I saw that happening is with some early changes. Hope things weren't too OOC but I felt it was necessary for the premise to work. If it was too much I apologize.

Please Read and Review, Ill even accept a "Cool story bro" in the review box. I welcome all criticism since it will help me develop as a writer.I also respond to any questions or Private messages. Updates will be sporadic since I tend to write long chapters and I haven't been able to find a good Beta-reader. But honest constructive criticism from reviewers will help speed updates along by giving me confidence and much needed second opinions.


	2. Getting Settled

**Chapter 2**

**Getting Settled**

**Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto or any properties associated with Naruto**

XXXXXXX

Naruto's first time in a hospital was less then exhilarating. He had never had a reason to come to one before, he had never gotten sick in his entire life and as he gazed around the sterile white room he was grateful for that fact. To add on to his irritation he had spent the last five minutes answering every question the doctors and nurses could throw at him.

"Is there any pain in your lower abdominal area Uzumaki-san?" The doctor asked cordially. Naruto let out an annoyed huff before answering.

"There wasn't any pain there the last two times you asked so no, I'm not experiencing any pain in my stomach area. Can I go home now?" The doctor simply continued to write information on his clipboard, just as Naruto was about to lose his temper but he was interrupted by a very familiar figure entering the room.

"How is he doing doctor?" The Sandaime asked in his usual grandfatherly voice. The doctor turned around and gave a respectful bow before answering.

"Everything looks to be in order Hokage-sama. The patient is in good health and of sound mind. There appears to be no damage to his body or strain on his muscles. His chakra system is also functioning wonderfully, he has chakra reserves that would make a Jounin jealous. The only thing I would recommend is that Naruto-san gets more sleep and eats more fruits and vegetables, he is rather small for a boy his age."

Naruto was about to retort to the doctors observation but the Sandaime intervened before an argument could begin. "Thank you for the excellent work doctor, if everything's in order I'll be checking Naruto-kun out." The doctor nodded his acceptance and left the room. Leaving the Sandaime and Naruto alone.

"How are you feeling Naruto-kun? You gave my old heart quite a scare." Sarutobi was hoping to lighten the mood before beginning his questioning. The truth was that he was in an awkward position. There had been a resurgence in the Kyuubi's chakra earlier in the evening, it was small but potent enough that it set off the seals he had in his office and home that were meant to detect the presence of a Tailed beast's chakra. The seals were mainly a precaution in case a rival village attempted to unleash a tailed beast within the confines of Konoha, like Kirigakure had tried with Rin Nohara during the Third Shinobi War. He never thought they would ever be needed.

After the alert he had immediately headed out to the location of the disturbance. He found Naruto in his apartment unconscious with no sign of demonic influence. It confused him to no end but he decided to take the boy to the hospital to check on his health and the integrity of his seal.

Several of Konoha's shinobi who had excellent sensory abilities had also come forth and voiced their concerns to the Hokage. He told them there was nothing to fear and ordered them to be silent and alert no one to the news, less they cause a panic. But people did tend to gossip and ninjas were no exception to that rule.

Naruto didn't answer his question and simply stared at the Hokage which put the man ill at ease. The boy was never this quiet and he could tell Naruto was angry about something. He was about to ask the blond what was bother him but the child decided to break his silence.

"When were you going to tell me?"

It was a very vague question but Hiruzen knew what the boy was asking. He ran numerous scenarios of how the boy figured out the truth in his head. None of them were good, he was tempted to play dumb but knew it would do no good. The only way out of this situation as to tell the boy the truth.

"I will answer all your questions Naruto, but I think we should take this conversation somewhere more private." The Third gestured to the door and Naruto got out of the hospital bed and followed the old man out of the hospital room. He followed him through the hospital and out into the streets of Konoha.

Naruto didn't know what time it was but judging by the darkness and emptiness of the streets it was clearly past midnight, the only things in the streets were feral cats and dogs as well as the occasional shady individual. The walk was done in awkward silence but it was thankfully short since the hospital was located only ten minutes away from the Hokage Tower.

Eventually they both reached the Hokage tower and Hiruzen led Naruto through the buildings numerous halls and into his office, ignoring the stares of the towers night staff and security. He sat himself down in his usual seat behind his desk while Naruto sat in a small armchair opposite the desk. Silence reigned for several seconds until the Hokage decided to break it.

"Naruto I know that you must have a million questions you want to ask mem but I'm afraid before I answer your questions you must answer one of mine. What exactly happened to you?"

Naruto wanted to yell at the old man for requesting answers from him when it should be him answering questions but Naruto chose to obey for the sake of making things go smoothly. So he told the Sandaime about all the events that had transpired earlier. He told him about his meeting with Kurama, the demons challenge, all the events he saw with ninshu, and about his mother saving him from being overwhelmed with anger and him tricking Kurama into a friendship.

As the tale went on the Hokage's eyes grew wider and he found himself shocked beyond all comprehension. The story was something beyond belief but he knew it was all true, there was no way Naruto could concoct a story as outlandish as this. Sarutobi found himself remembering an old Shinobi proverb about truth being stranger then fiction and that proverb seemed to ring truer than ever right now. Naruto finished his tale and leveled a hard glare at the old man.

"So there's what happened, so I'll ask you again. Why didn't you tell me the truth?"

Sarutobi certainly felt his age right now, and wished that it had been him to die that night instead of Minato. But he knew there was no point in wishing for luxuries so he decided to try and explain himself as best he could.

"I wanted you to live a carefree childhood, the burden of holding a demon inside of you is something no child should have to bear and I didn't want you to go through that." He answered honestly, he had heard about Jinchuriki becoming depressed or even suicidal because of the pressure of keeping a tailed beast at bay. He wanted Naruto to be spared that as much as possible. "I created a law that stated no one could speak about the demon sealed in you, I hoped that would allow you to get along with other children and spare you the hatred of your peers."

Naruto understood the old man's points, he didn't like it but he could understand it, that didn't mean he was done chewing him out.

"Well it didn't work out, the truth would have been better than this. All I've ever done is wonder why people hated me, it drove me crazy. I thought I must have done something truly horrible or that I was some kind of monster." Sarutobi flinched at Naruto's words but the boy wasn't done yet. "But as terrible as that was it's nowhere near as terrible as you never telling me about my parents."

Naruto watched as the old Hokage rubbed his eyes wearily, he could tell the old man was sad and regretful. Normally he would have given the man a break but he wanted answers.

"I kept your parents identity a secret in order to protect you Naruto. I know how pitiful an excuse that must be to your ears but I did it in your best interest." The excuse sounded weak but it was true. He had wanted to protect Naruto as much as possible, but in doing so he had betrayed the boys trust.

Throughout this entire conversation Naruto had been suppressing his anger. He tried remembering his mother's words, her embrace, and the peace he found within himself. But he was slowly beginning to reach a breaking point.

"Protect me?" Naruto asked in a disbelieving tone. "My entire life I've wondered about who my parents were. At first I thought they had died in the Kyuubi attack or died in some tragic accident, but when I saw how people hated me I began to believe that my parents had hated me as well and abandoned me." The Hokage couldn't help but flinch at that, it made him feel like he had disgraced Minato and Kushina's memories. "But then I learned that I had parents who loved me, they loved me so much they were willing to die in order to protect me. So please tell me how you were protecting me by hiding the truth that I had loving parents?"

"I know that I've failed you in many regards Naruto, and you have every right to hate me. I've lied to you your entire life and betrayed your trust." Hiruzen began sadly. "But even you must understand that your father had many enemies and if word had slipped out about your origins you would have been targeted."

Naruto felt his anger dissipate a little and it was replaced with curiosity and confusion. "What type of enemies did my father have?" The blond asked, his voice returning to a more even tone.

"He was a hero during the Third Shinobi War. He saved many of his fellow leaf ninja in battle. But he also killed hundreds of Iwa ninja during the course of the war, which sowed seeds of resentment in Iwagakure that still carry on to this day."

"They would really kill me for what my father did in a war?" Naruto asked in a disbelieving voice. As he was pondering why they would do such a thing Kurama's words from earlier rang in his head.

"_**They fight each other in an endless cycle of hatred."**_

Naruto shook those thoughts from his head in favor of focusing on the Sandaime.

"Not officially. The current Tsuchikage would never waste his village's resources on something so petty or meaningless. He is a stubborn and prideful old man but he would not seek out such pointless vengeance." Hiruzen explained. "But there are many Shinobi under his command that would be willing to become missing-nin's in hopes of getting revenge. That was a risk I wasn't willing to take."

Naruto's anger faded away and he nodded in understanding. "I guess I understand, I don't like it but I understand." He saw the old Hokage smile in relief. "But don't think you're getting off that easy, you're going to tell me everything I want to know about my family, and you're treating me out to Ichiraku ramen for the rest of the year."

The Sandaime let out a genuine laugh at that statement. He was relieved that the boy understood the situation. "It's a deal Naruto, I'm just glad you were able to understand the situation I was put in." Hiruzen felt a million times better and impressed with the boy's maturity.

"I was able to forgive Kurama for killing my parents, so I can easily forgive you for trying to protect me. Even if you did it in a way that kind of pissed me off."

Hearing Naruto speak about the fox made Hiruzen genuinely curious about the rest of the night's events. "You actually managed to trick the Kyuubi no Kitsune into being your friend?" The old man asked, still not quite able to full grasp that last part of Naruto tale. Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Well I wouldn't call it a friendship, I can still sense his hatred and he would probably kill me in a heartbeat. But it is an important first step, at least now he will be forced to talk with me. Maybe over time I can rid him of his hatred and make him stop being so much of angry bastard."

Hiruzen chuckled lightly as he reached into his desk and retrieved his favorite pipe, he lit it up and took a long relaxing drag. "It's still an amazing feat. Mito Uzumaki spent her entire life trying to speak with the Kyuubi and establish a bond with him and she never made any progress. As for your mother…" The Hokage was trying to find a way to phrase his next sentence in a way that wouldn't upset the boy but Naruto beat him to the punch.

"There's no need to explain, my mom pretty much spelled out the fact she was too much of a hot head to get along with the Fox." Both of them shared a light chuckle.

"That's good Naruto, just be very careful with the Kyuubi. I have faith in your willpower and your fathers seal but you must be cautious." Naruto agreed with the old man, he would always be cautious where Kurama was concerned. But at the moment he had questions that needed answering.

"You promised me you would tell me everything you knew about my parents." Naruto began. "So if you don't mind I'd like to hear everything about them."

Hiruzen smiled and began to tell Naruto everything he could remember. He told the boy everything about his mother and father. Their childhood, personal lives, abilities as shinobi, everything that his old brain could conjure up. He told Naruto about his mother's past, the Uzumaki clan, and her life as a jinchuriki.

Naruto listened with rapt attention throughout the entire story and he grew to respect his parents even more. Once Hiruzen was finished Naruto asked a question that had been plaguing him this entire time.

"Neh Jiji, didn't my parents leave me anything after they died?" The blond asked. "They must have had money, a house, and other stuff. I don't care about money all that much but I would like some pictures of them or any of their personal belongings to remember them by."

Hiruzen let out a sad sigh. "They left you a decent amount of money to pay for your expenses such as your apartment and monthly stipend. But their house was one of many to be destroyed during the Kyuubi attack. The fox vaporized almost everything in that area of town leaving behind mostly ashes." He explained sadly, he saw Naruto's dejected look and decided to soothe the boys sorrow.

"I do have a few pictures of them that I've kept over the years, and I know a few others who were close friends with them. I'm sure if I ask around enough I can find a few more pictures." That seemed to make the boy happy, but he could see Naruto still had something he wanted to ask.

"By any chance did they have any ninja stuff lying around? They were both super powerful so they must have had some cool jutsu right?"

"Yes they did." Hiruzen began. "Your father left behind all the information about his techniques in several scrolls. But his will clearly showed you weren't to receive them until you became a Chunin, something I agree with since many of them are dangerous." He saw the boy's dejected look and immediately felt bad, he refused to go against Minato's will but another idea popped into his head.

"Your mother on the other hand left no real instructions about her techniques. Both Mito and Kushina spent a good deal of their lives trying to reclaim all that was lost when the land of whirlpools was destroyed. They returned to the ruins of their homeland and salvaged as much as they could, they also wrote down all the techniques and knowledge they themselves knew in hopes of keeping their clan's abilities and history alive. By all accounts as one of the last living Uzumaki's that knowledge is yours by right."

The boy had a smile plastered on his face that couldn't help warm the Thirds heart. But he wouldn't let emotions get in the way of his next decision. "I will of course give you the scrolls your mother made about the clan and its techniques so long as you agree to be very careful with them. Most of the knowledge of your clan was in Fuuinjutsu, but there are other techniques as well." He explained. "But the most important thing is if you find anything in them that you don't understand you must return to me and ask about it. If you attempt to use a technique with no true knowledge about what you are doing you could get seriously hurt." Naruto nodded vigorously at the Third and swore he would always be careful.

Most adults wouldn't trust the word of a child but Sarutobi trusted Naruto. The boy was many things but he wasn't a liar, he knew the child would keep his word.

"Good, I'll have them delivered to your apartment later."

"I'm really grateful for all that stuff but is there nowhere else for me to live?" Naruto asked sadly, he didn't want to come off as ungrateful after everything he had just received but he couldn't help but be curious. "I don't mind the apartment but I've kind of always wanted a real house to go home to, is there nowhere else for me to live?"

"Not off the top of my head no. Your parents' home was destroyed and the only other blood relative I can think of would be Mito Uzumaki, but she is a distant relative so your claim is rather weak. Most of her property passed on to her Granddaughter Tsunade." Hiruzen couldn't help but frown after saying that. His student had either sold or gambled away most of what she had inherited, including most of her ancestral properties. "I'm afraid that the Uzumaki were never really a part of Konoha, they were close allies and friends, which is why their symbol is located on our flak jackets and tools."

Thinking about the Uzumaki made Hiruzen realize something, maybe there was something he could do for Naruto. There was an option to get a new house for the boy, but he would have to look for himself to see if the option was still viable.

"There might actually be something I can do for you Naruto-kun, I believe I know of a place you can live but I must visit it myself to see if it is still a viable option."

That news got the blond excited. "Ne Jiji can I go with you?"

"Normally I would take you Naruto-kun, but we spoke for so long that the sun is coming up." He gestured to the office window and sure enough the sun was slowly rising over the village. They had talked the entire night away. "You need to go home and get some rest, Ill sort everything out and get all the paperwork done"

Naruto wanted to protest but he suddenly felt the full evenings events catch up to him and let out a small yawn. He was tired and he knew that he needed his sleep. Seeing the boy's exhaustion the Third hit a small button on his desk, it immediately summoned his two most trusted ANBU operatives, Dog and cat.

"Orders Hokage-sama?"

"Please escort Naruto-kun to the dining room downstairs and make sure he gets a hearty breakfast before escorting him back to his apartment." Both ANBU walked up to opposite side of Naruto and began to walk they boy down to the cafeteria area downstairs.

"Not you Tenzo." The Hokage ordered. Cat stopped and turned to the Hokage, awaiting his new orders.

"I require your skills elsewhere. We will be traveling to the far end of the village, please follow me."

XXXXXXX

After a good fifteen minutes of running across rooftops both The Hokage and his ANBU bodyguard found themselves closing in on an older and much richer part of the village. It was the Senju district, one of the oldest parts of the village alongside the Uchiha district, both of which had been built during the founding of the village.

The Uzumaki clan and Senju clan always had close ties, both were allies and many Uzumaki had married into the Senju clan. So it was no surprise that the Uzumaki had an embassy that was located only a half mile away from the Senju residential area.

Both men arrived at their destination. The old Uzumaki embassy was more of an estate. It was designed to allow ambassadors feel welcome and comfortable during their regular visits. The old building was located on a lovely piece of land, obviously chosen to impress the ambassadors during their visits. The property surrounding the building was rich in trees, verdant grass, and even had a private training ground. It also had a large man made pond next to the training ground, no doubt built for Uzumaki clan members to practice their signature water jutsu.

Despite how nice the property was time had certainly taken its toll. The training field was overgrown, the pond had also become infested with moss and pests, the gardens were also overgrown with every manner of pesky weed, and the building in the center of it all had slowly begun to show its age, with cracks in the roof and vines climbing up its walls. But none of that stopped it from appearing regal.

Hiruzen had come here a few times in his life and was amazed that even overgrown it was still a nice place. "What do you think Tenzo? I believe Naruto-kun will be rather comfortable here once it's been fixed up."

Tenzo took off his mask in order to get a better view of the surroundings. After a few seconds he agreed with the Hokage's analysis. "It is indeed a nice place, the property is much nicer than any place I've ever lived."

"The Shodaime was intent on making the Uzumaki feel comfortable when they visited, he no doubt put extra effort into making this place comfortable after he married Mito." The Third joked, it would have put a damper on the marriage if Hashirama made his wife's family stay in an unpleasant place. It was always a good idea to avoid angering his in-laws.

The building itself had been built by Hashirama Senju himself with his Mokuton abilities which meant it was made of the highest quality wood imaginable and was extremely large. It was three stories tall and held five bedrooms, a small dojo, a basement level, and numerous other rooms built for relaxation.

"What about the building itself Tenzo? I understand you study architecture in your spare time, and with your ability to create houses with your Mokuton abilities your opinion in this matter is valued."

Tenzo quickly analyzed each and every single aspect of the house. After analyzing the outside he entered the home and looked at every room in the house, drinking in every single detail. The place was filthy and in need of renovation in terms of its plumbing and electrical wires. But the wood was still as strong as the day it had been created. After several minutes he walked into the living room of the house where the Hokage was waiting.

"Your opinion?"

Tenzo cleared his throat. "Jealous sir." He answered. "My skills pale in comparison to the Shodaime, the wood is as strong as the day it was grown and while the house is built in an older style of architecture it's easily as solid as the Hokage tower itself. So long as you fix up the plumbing, clean up the property, and reconnect it to Konoha's power grid it will be like the Uzumaki never left."

The Third took the man's words to heart. He would have some Genin clear the place up and have a few professionals fix what the Genin couldn't.

"With respect Hokage-sama, why now of all times are you giving Naruto this place?"

Sarutobi let out a tired sigh. "In all honesty I never really considered it before. I hadn't thought about the Uzumaki clan in ages and this estate has been abandoned so long that I had forgotten about it entirely until Naruto began to ask about his clan and heritage." He confessed sadly. "I also think he deserves a little reward after all he's gone through in this last day. I won't bore you with the details but he discovered the truth about his burden and family all in the span of a single night."

If that information surprised Tenzo he didn't show it, the man was a master at hiding his emotions. Both men were silent for a while as the continued their inspection of the estate until finally The Hokage was satisfied.

"I'll have a few people fix this place up and have Naruto move in once it's done. " The older man declared happily. "I should have thought of this back when Kushina was alive, but she seemed happy living with Minato in his family's house."

"With respect Hokage-sama, is this such a good Idea? Naruto might be Kushina's son but many people will protest the child being given this estate. While it's within your rights as Hokage to do as you wish with property belonging to the village some might bring up grievances with the Fire Daimyo." Tenzo was afraid he might have spoken a bit frankly to his superior but it was a serious matter.

The Third chuckled lightly as his ANBUs words. "It is true that the Fire Daimyo can make my life complicated, but the truth is that I'm not worried at all. He is one of the few non-shinobi who know the truth about Naruto's heritage and he would be the first to support Naruto taking over this estate. He could claim that the Uzumaki clan was being reborn in Konoha, something that would only elevate his prestige and power amongst the other Lords."

Tenzo was impressed. "You've really thought this through haven't you?" He was impressed the older man covering all his bases politically.

"Of course, I didn't earn this rank on my good looks alone." Both men had a light laugh. "The Fire Daimyo is not an issue, he is a meek man and often underestimated but he is extremely wise. I wouldn't worry about the villagers either, though they may not be happy with the news it is not their place to determine what I do with property that belongs to the village. Now let's go back to the tower, I have a lot of work ahead of me."

XXXXXXX

It had been a month since Naruto had discovered the truth about his life and things had certainly turned out for the better.

The fact he was now living in a wonderful house was a testament to that. The Old man had really come through for him, the house was big enough to hold a large family and the fact it had once belonged to his distant relatives made it feel like a home.

For the first time in his life Naruto felt truly spoiled, the estate was lovely and he felt like a king. The house was sparsely furnished but he didn't mind. He would add furniture and various other Knick knacks later. The only stuff he had brought over was from his apartment so it barely filled a single room of the huge house.

He had gone to work making everything as perfect as it could be. Thankfully the entire estate was cleaned and fixed up by the Thirds workers but Naruto still wanted to add some things to his new home. The first thing he had done was plant a garden, he remembered his mother's words about eating healthier so he planted a large garden in hopes of supplementing his diet with some much needed fruits and vegetables.

Aside from that he hung up numerous posters, scrolls, set up some targets on the training ground for his kunai and shuriken training. And various other small things to make the house feel more lived in.

Currently Naruto was sitting in the basement of the estate. It was here where he had his family techniques sealed away in the most secure room in the house. The Third had graciously organized the scrolls for him, allowing him to easily browse through them. Practically all of them were beyond his comprehension but the Sandaime had assured him that as he continued reading the simple scrolls the complex ones would begin to make sense.

For now Naruto wasn't interested in the scrolls. He was more interested in talking to his tailed beast.

It had taken him two weeks to get back into contact with Kurama. At first he thought the fox would summon him but it seemed Kurama wasn't in a talkative mood. After doing some research he discovered in order to talk with a tailed beast one had to enter a state of calm meditation in order to enter ones inner spiritual world. He had discovered this after reading the personal diary of Mito Uzumaki, the woman had amassed a good amount of knowledge about mediation and calming exercises in hopes of keeping the Kyuubi's hatred at bay. He also learned that with enough communication and practice you could speak with a tailed beast outside of the inner world. He decided that he would focus on the basics first, no point in getting ahead of himself.

It had taken him a good deal of time to actually focus enough to learn how to meditate. He wasn't by nature a very calm individual and meditation was extremely boring. But after enough trial and error he had managed to enter his inner world to speak with Kurama.

He almost wished he hadn't bothered.

The fox was a stubborn bastard at the best of times and a complete asshole at the worst. He had agreed to friendship and he kept his word, but he also put in considerable effort to being the worst friend imaginable. But he kept on speaking with the bastard, even though it was obvious the fox disliked him.

So once again he found himself sitting on a small meditation mat that he had placed on his basement floor. The basement was the only place quiet enough for him to focus inwards, and after a few minutes of calm focus he once again found himself sitting on a beautiful verdant field.

"**Back again brat?"** A deep voice asked, Naruto looked up and saw Kurama lazily sitting beside a water fall and river. Naruto walked over and sat next to the fox and joined him in staring at the waterfall.

"How are you doing today?" Naruto asked as he took off his sandals and dipped his feet into the water. Despite being fake the world felt real, the water was cold, and the air fresh. He had hoped that Kurama would be more talkative and nice after the change in scenery.

He was wrong.

"**Why do you keep asking me that damn question every single time you visit me?"** Kurama growled. **"I'm the same as I was yesterday and the day before that, I'm trapped inside the belly of an eight year old child. My mood can't exactly fluctuate under those circumstances."**

"I was just curious." The boy muttered. "Friends should be concerned with one another's wellbeing. I can change the scenery if you want." The landscape quickly changed and instead of a waterfall and river both Kurama and Naruto were sitting on top of a large mountain, overlooking a vast mountain range covered in clouds.

Kurama simply huffed in annoyance**. "When you conned me into being your friend you specified that you wanted someone to talk to and joke around with. So say whatever it is you need to say and spout out a few jokes, I don't have time to entertain a child." **

"You just said that your trapped in here, time is pretty much all you have." Naruto retorted. "We are both stuck together for the rest of my life, which given the fact my clan is known for our longevity could be a long time. I would rather we spend that time getting along rather than fighting."

Kurama was tempted to try and kill Naruto but he knew it would be in vain. The child was nothing more than a projection and killing a projection was a pointless venture. So he decided to simply play along.

"**It doesn't matter how long your life is, it's nothing but a drop in the ocean compared to my eternal existence. I can hate you for as long as I want."** Kurama declared stubbornly. **"You overcame my hatred and power, for that you've earned a tiny bit of my respect, but don't think for a second that I care about you. If given a chance at freedom I will take it, if killing you would allow me to escape I would do so in a heartbeat."**

Naruto didn't even flinch.

"I'm aware of that, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends. If it wasn't for the fact that you would destroy Konoha and bring ruin to the world I would have released you already." Those words surprised Kurama he had never heard any of his Jinchuriki say such a thing. "I think it's unfair that the shinobi nations imprisoned you and the other tailed beasts to be used as weapons of war. But at the same time I recognize why they did so. You guys are dangerous and until you are able to overcome your hatred of humanity I will never release you."

"**Then I will never be free."** There was no hatred in that statement, Kurama was simply putting it forth as a fact. For what seemed like the hundredth time Naruto let out a sad sigh. He wanted to free the beast of his hatred but it seemed like an impossible task.

Both of them fell into a long silence. Which was eventually broken by Naruto deciding to share news with the fox.

"I'm going to begin my first year at the shinobi academy." Naruto put forth happily. "It's a four year program, I'll be learning to history, math, physical conditioning, target practice, taijutsu, and ninjutsu. Once I'm finish those four years I will be a shinobi and one step closer to being Hokage!"

"**Doubtful."** Was the fox's simple answer, in truth he really didn't care about what the boy did in his spare time. The child could enroll in Clown College for all he cared.

"You don't think I can become Hokage?" Naruto asked. "The Hokage is the strongest ninja in the village, with my strength it's only a matter of time until the village acknowledges me."

"**You underestimate how strong you must be to be a Hokage." **Kurama stated.** "The Shodaime was strong enough to suppress my power long enough for his wife to seal me away. He was capable of using every form on ninjutsu imaginable, and even healed his own wounds without the use of hand seals. Compared to him your strength is nothing. You don't even have the intelligence to be a Hokage, you barely passed your tests in civilian school and I'm half convinced you have a bowl of tapioca between your ears instead of a brain." **

Naruto suppressed his rage, he wanted to yell at the fox but he knew the beast fed off his hatred. So he settled for a simple insult. "Yeah well you aren't exactly the sharpest kunai in the holster yourself. If you were so smart you wouldn't be sealed in me now would you?"

Kurama narrowed his eyes**. "I'm only sealed in here because of humanities need to imprison what they cannot control."**

"Translation: You were being a huge asshole so the Shodaime had to contain you. Then when you got loose again my parents summoned the Shinigami and he promptly beat the crap out of you."

"**He did not beat the crap out of me!"** Kurama protested.

"Your right, he just ripped your soul and chakra out of your body and shoved into a newborn baby. You didn't get beaten, you got your ass handed to you on a silver platter by some creepy ghost guy."

"**He only managed that because your infernal mother had me chained to the ground. If I had been free to move around that battle would have turned out very differently!"** Kurama pointed out angrily. He would not have his strength questioned by a child.

"Really, because I'm pretty sure he would have chewed up your soul and flossed with your spirit. He is the literal God of death, not even you can compete with that." Naruto knew it wasn't good to make Kurama angry, but it was the only way to get the beast to really talk to him.

"**You know nothing, I am the strongest creature in this world. I do not have to prove my strength to some snot nosed child who still needs a nightlight to fall asleep at night."** Kurama declared.

"I do not use a nightlight you liar!"

"**I see through your eyes child, it is you who are lying."** He said as he pointed accusingly at Naruto. **"Konoha would have to be truly desperate to elect you to be Hokage. They'd be better off putting a mentally disabled squirrel in charge of the village, it would be a hundred times smarter then you."**

Naruto wanted to protest but there was no point in arguing with the fox. Most of their conversations ended in shouting matches where the two traded petty insults. As much as Naruto hated to admit it the fox usually won those fights, centuries of existence had given the fox ample time to develop some truly crushing insults. So he chose to cut his losses and leave.

"There's no point in us fighting. I'll just prove you wrong with my actions. I'll just make you eat those words when I become Hokage." Naruto declared. "When that day comes everyone will acknowledge me, and even you will be forced to admit that you were wrong about me."

"**The day you become Hokage is the day the sun will rise in the west and set in the east, all men will be equal, and the shinobi nations will embrace peace." **Kurama retorted smugly.

"You are far too negative." Naruto responded.

"**And you are far too positive." **

"Then I guess we balance each other out." Naruto responded. "I need to get back to training and getting my stuff together for the academy, I'll be back to check on you tomorrow."

"**I'll be waiting anxiously, counting the minutes until you grace me with your presence."** Kurama sarcastically stated as he laid down for another nap, intent on ignoring his host.

Naruto ignored the insult and waved goodbye to the fox before he released his focus and once again found himself sitting in his basement. He was exhausted, he wanted to help the fox overcome his hatred but it was proving difficult.

"Friendship isn't easy."

XXXXXXX

It was the start of the semester and Iruka didn't know what to feel.

He looked over his new class with a fair bit of pride and nervousness. He had taught in the academy for several years but it was the first time he would be teaching such an important class. He had the heirs to several of the most prodigious clans of Konoha in his class which in itself made his job a bit more stressful.

But what made things most stressful was the presence of the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki, Uzumaki Naruto. Iruka knew the boy was just a demon container, that he was the village's ultimate weapon in case of invasion the same way Hashirama's wife had been. But every time he looked at the boy all he saw was the faces of his deceased parents. So he simply tried to ignore the boy as much as possible.

"Alright class, welcome to your first day of Instruction. I am Umino Iruka, but while in class you will call me Iruka-sensei. I will be spending the next four years shaping you into competent shinobi of Konoha." He explained, drawing in the class's attention. "I won't lie, it will be tough. We will be pushing you to the breaking point. You will be tested physically, mentally, and even spiritually. But know that as your sensei I will be here for you every step of the way."

He looked up at the class and saw a few nervous expressions but most of the children looked determined. That was a good sign.

"Now then let's all go around the room and introduce ourselves. You will be learning alongside each other for the next four years so it's important we all get along. Let's start with…" The first name on the list was of course Uzumaki Naruto. Iruka let out a frustrated sigh. "Let's start with Uzumaki-"

Before he could finish Naruto stood up on top of his desk. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, I'm going to kick all your butts and become the greatest Ninja ever!" The boy declared proudly. "Then I'm going to become Hokage and-"

Naruto was cut off by Iruka scraping a kunai across the blackboard. Creating a horrifying screech that had everyone in the class covering their ears in pain. Once he was finished he leveled a cold glare at Naruto. "I don't know who raised you Naruto but that's not the proper way to introduce yourself."

Naruto returned the glare with one of his own.

"Well I was raised in an orphanage so if you've got a problem with it you can bring it up with the matron." That declaration drew a little surprise from the rest of the class but Iruka wasn't impressed.

"I'm also an orphan but even I had better manners then you when I was your age. If you keep up this behavior you'll be spending tonight in detention. So sit down and let's continue introductions." Naruto grudgingly obeyed his sensei and sat down at his desk. Once introductions were done Iruka covered the syllabus for the school year. Following that he allowed the class a quick recess to relax and socialize with their peers. After that was done the class returned to the room and the lecturing began.

Iruka finished writing the days assignments on the blackboard and sat down at his desk to relax while the class did their daily reading. Most of the class was busy reading through their history book while he occasionally chimed in facts about the village and its founding. Throughout the lecture Naruto was staring at him with a very peculiar look in his eye, it reminded him of a cat watching its prey. He was about to stand up to help a student with a question but found he wasn't able to, his desk chair had been glued to his butt.

The entire class upon seeing their teacher's predicament began to laugh out loud, making Iruka turn red with a mixture of anger and embarrassment. It didn't take a genius to figure out who had done this.

"Naruto! You are going to spend tonight in detentio-" He was cut off by a water balloon hitting him in the face, only the balloon wasn't filled with water, it was filled with orange paint.

"You act like you're a ninja but you can't even avoid being pranked! What can a guy like you possibly teach me?!" Naruto yelled as he ran out of the classroom laughing like a maniac. The rest of the class was laughing at the boy's antics and their teacher's predicament.

Iruka let out an angry huff.

"This is going to be the hardest four years of my life…"

XXXXXXX

_**One Year Later**_

An entire year had passed since Naruto had learned the truth about his heritage and the burden he carried. In that year his life had changed in many ways.

Naruto found himself constantly busy. He spent his weekdays at the ninja academy, learning the basics of being a ninja. When he wasn't at school he was at home reading up on his clan's history, and his families techniques. Even then what little free time he had was taken up with taking care of his new house, homework, and training.

He still performed pranks, he did have an image to maintain. But as his free time was eaten up by his numerous responsibilities his pranks were becoming less frequent.

Naruto's was sad that the academy didn't match his original expectations. When he first began going to the academy Naruto was confident that he would be at the top of the class. He was confident that his clan's techniques would come to him easily and he would surpass all of his peers with ease.

He was wrong.

Naruto wasn't a genius and he wasn't able to learn things as easily as his peers. Nothing came easily to him and he had to put in extra effort into everything he did. The first year of the academy was mostly focused on academics so Naruto didn't feel too bad but it still annoyed him that it took him a week to understand something an average student could grasp in a day.

There were times he felt like giving up but whenever those moments came he remembered his mother's last words before she had died.

"_Your mom was really bad at this…but study hard…and learn your ninjutsu. Just…everyone is good at some things…and not so good at others, so don't get depressed okay?"_

The memory was a bit painful, Kurama had forced him to watch his mother's death in an attempt to hurt him. But he was glad he had seen it, it gave him the determination he needed to keep on going no matter what. So he pushed himself to the breaking point every day regardless of how impossible the task seemed.

He soon discovered that he wasn't able to perform even the simplest of ninjutsu, not his clan's techniques or even the simplest ones the academy taught. He read through every scroll his clan had and discovered this was actually a common problem amongst the Uzumaki. His clan was renowned for its longevity, life force, and chakra reserves. A side effect of such large reserves was terrible chakra control, as a result the Uzumaki clan had problems with performing ninjutsu, a problem that was doubled for him since he also had a tailed beast sealed within him.

For that reason most clan members tended to focus on techniques that required little chakra control or they simply focused on Fuuinjutsu. Essentially bypassing their problem of chakra control.

Naruto wasn't willing to give up, he wanted to perform every single cool technique he could. Luckily the clan had developed numerous chakra control exercises which Naruto took to learning immediately. The leaf exercise was easy enough, it was something taught in the academy so he mastered it quickly. Tree climbing/walking took him a month to learn, and water walking took him two months to master. Even then most techniques were still too much for him so he began doing as much of his training while walking on water as possible, whether it be stretching or practicing his taijutsu katas.

All this effort allowed him to perform basic E-ranked ninjutsu on par with his classmates. It was upsetting to see his classmates able to do the same things he could while putting only a minimal amount of effort but he tried to not let it bother him.

The one area he was doing decently in was his Fuuinjutsu skills. At first he couldn't make heads or tails of the various sealing texts his clan had left behind. They seemed to be various gibberish that made no sense, but he pushed himself to learn the basics. It was hard to memorize the various symbols, arrays, and the small differences between seals but after six months of studying he finally had a firm grasp on the concept. He wasn't designing new seals or creating masterpieces but he was able to create functioning storage scrolls, and a few other basic seals.

The other aspect of his life that was a bit underwhelming was his friends, or lack thereof. Naruto had attempted to befriend each and every single member of his class, which had for the most part ended in failure.

Some kids were simply too stuck up to be his friend, others weren't interested, but most simply followed their parent's examples and shunned him. There were a few other children who were neutral towards him which was a start, but it was obvious friendship would be something he would also have to work at. As a result the only friend he had was a giant demon fox who hated his guts, a fact that depressed him to no end.

The teachers weren't much better. His pranking them probably didn't help but he knew that they didn't like him from the start. Iruka-sensei started off the year harsh and unforgiving but had slowly calmed down and was at least neutral towards him, if a bit strict. He had decided to focus his pranking on other members of the faculty.

Currently Naruto was sitting on top of the academy's roof. It was lunch break which meant the teachers had dismissed the students to eat and rest for an hour before classes resumed. From his vantage point he could see his classmates eating their lunches in the academy's courtyard and couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Most of the students were eating home lunches their parents had made, and were happily eating and socializing with friends.

Meanwhile Naruto was eating a few rice balls he had made this morning along with a few fruits and vegetables he had picked from his garden. He would kill for ramen right now but he promised himself he would start eating healthier in an attempt to obey his mother's dying wishes.

"It must be nice to have parents prepare you lunch." Naruto muttered as he looked down at his classmates. "I bet my mother could have made this into a healthy and tasty meal."

"**Doesn't it fill you with rage to see them all so happy?"** The fox asked, breaking Naruto out of his thoughts. Kurama was also something that Naruto was making slow progress with. The fox was getting better…sort of. After numerous conversations with the fox and intense mediation the two were able to communicate casually without Naruto needing to mediate. This meant he was able to talk to the fox on a regular basis which was extremely convenient. Kurama himself was still a hateful bastard, but he now seemed content to speak with Naruto in a somewhat neutral tone.

"I admit that I'm jealous of them but I don't hate them." Naruto responded. "There's no point in getting angry at them, if anything it's your fault my mother's not here to cook for me."

"**Your mother was doomed the second I was removed from her body, a jinchuriki cannot survive once a tailed beast is extracted. All I did was speed up her inevitable end."** The Fox responded. **"Also I wouldn't hold on to that fantasy about your mothers cooking, she was a terrible cook. She tried to surprise your father with a home cooked meal on their anniversary. The blond idiot spent the entire night on the toilet." **

Naruto let out a light chuckle at the story, it seemed to fit in with the image he had of his mother. "In the end there's no point in getting angry about it, there's nothing I can do now except try and get better at cooking my own meals."

"**You could kill the other children and steal their meals that would solve your problem instantly."** Kurama offered. **"At least that's what I would do if I was in your situation."**

Naruto shook his head in both disappointment and amusement. "I've noticed that every time you give out "helpful" advice it usually involves me killing numerous people and possibly burning down a building."

"**Your point is?"**

"No point, just making an observation."

"**I still can't believe you're at peace with this situation. The other students hate you, or ignore you. Most can't even remember your name and none of them acknowledge you. Doesn't it fill you with rage?"** The fox asked, in hopes of getting Naruto angry. He had tried corrupting the boy but the child was so at peace with himself that it was hard to latch on to any of the boy's negative emotions. His plans to use ninshu to corrupt the boy had backfired and now it seemed the child was incorruptible.

"It does bother me at times. But the truth is that you're my friend and you remember my name. So it's not all bad. As long as I have you I'm never truly alone." Naruto responded happily. While the Fox was terrible company and a terrible friend he was grateful for his company regardless.

"**Don't go saying such unnecessary things!"** Kurama yelled angrily, but Naruto could sense the smallest hint of embarrassment in the kitsune's voice. **"Doesn't it bother you that your only friend is a demon that hates you and can barely tolerate your company?"**

Naruto smiled. "You hate everything, so I don't take your hatred personally."

"**I'll be sure to be much more personal with my hatred from now on."**

"I love you too."

Their conversation was cut short by the door to the roof suddenly swinging open. Naruto looked up, he was expecting Iruka-sensei or Mizuki-sensei to be there to bother him and tell him the roof was off-limits. Instead it was Uchiha Sasuke, the class prodigy and last surviving member of the Uchiha clan.

Naruto wanted to glare at the boy but suppressed the urge. He wouldn't admit it out loud but he was extremely jealous of the Uchiha heir. The boy was a genius in every way. He had mastered the Henge instantly whereas it took Naruto two weeks to get the technique down.

But what Naruto didn't like most was the boys cold attitude, numerous children had attempted to befriend the boy but he had rejected every single offer of friendship, even his own. The only thing that kept him from outright hating Sasuke was the fact that they were both similar. He had heard rumors about the Uchiha massacre occurring a little over a year ago. He knew that Sasuke was probably in terrible pain after losing his family and it was probably that pain that made him the way he is.

He was tempted to challenge the boy, but he didn't want to aggravate him when he was still obviously dealing with the loss of his family. Its a shame, he was an ideal rival.

"I didn't expect anyone to be up here." The Uchiha said as he looked at Naruto. "Do you mind if I eat lunch up here? The girls won't let me eat in peace."

Naruto's first instinct was to tell the boy to go to hell. He had the attention of all the girls in class and it infuriated him to no end. But he remembered how he was just complaining about only having the fox to talk to so Naruto simply nodded.

That was all the incentive the Uchiha needed, the boy was about to pull out his own bento when the sound of rushed footsteps came from the stairwell. Sasuke responded instantly and began looking for a good hiding place, he saw an old rain tarp on the ground and hid under it. The second he did several girls rushed onto the rooftop.

"Where did he go?" The lead one asked, Naruto recognized her as Yamanaka Ino. She was a pretty blond and supposedly part of a small but respected clan. Naruto looked behind her and saw a few other girls from his class, the only one that he really recognized was Haruna Sakura. Sakura was an extremely pretty girl with distinct bubblegum and a slightly large forehead. Naruto had a small crush on her at the beginning of the school year but it was obvious she only had eyes for Sasuke. He was tempted to continue pursuing her but he remembered his mother's words warning him about girls. That didn't mean he had given up, he just wasn't desperate.

"Oi Naruto, have you seen Sasuke-kun anywhere?" Sakura asked as the girls crowded around him. "I want to give him this special bento I made just for him." She held out a bright pink bento, it had rice balls in the shape of hearts and numerous other cute treats designed to inspire romance. Naruto had to resist the urge to rat the Uchiha out, the boy was only a few feet away hiding under a tarp.

Before he could answer Ino pushed Sakura aside. "As if he would want that crap forehead girl! The bento I made for him is far superior to yours!" That began a small scuffle as each girl fought over who made the best bento. Naruto began to understand why Sasuke wanted to hide. While he was jealous of the attention and obvious popularity the Uchiha had, he could understand wanting to avoid…this.

Before the fight could come to blows Naruto interrupted them. "I heard him mentioning that he wanted to eat his lunch in the forest training area where we practiced trap setting last week." He lied. "If you guys hurry you might be able to catch him."

The girls immediately made a mad dash for the door, trampling over each other as they all fought to be the first ones down the stairwell. After a few seconds of scuffling the girls had left the rooftop and once again the roof was quiet.

"It's safe to come out now." Naruto called out to the Uchiha. Sasuke threw the tarp off of him and dusted himself off.

"Thanks for not ratting me out." Sasuke muttered, not used to thanking other people. "They always come for me during lunch and I rarely ever get to eat in peace."

"Well no one ever really comes up here except for me, so feel free to eat lunch here." Naruto didn't know why he said that, perhaps he just wanted company other than the fox in his stomach. Sasuke didn't respond but he sat down across from Naruto and pulled out his own bento and began to eat.

Both boys ate in silence, enjoying their meals. After ten minutes it was surprisingly Sasuke who broke the silence.

"Are you going to eat that tomato?" he asked while gesturing towards Naruto's lunch with his chopsticks. Naruto didn't really care much for fruits and vegetables but he was forcing himself to eat them. He had already eaten his salad and an apple so he wasn't really in the mood to eat the fruit.

"Not really, did you want it?" The blond asked. Sasuke nodded so Naruto handed him the tomato and the dark haired boy took a bite out of it. Much to Naruto's surprise the Uchiha had a small smile plastered on his face, it was the first time he had seen Sasuke have an actual human emotion.

Sasuke held out his bento to Naruto. "Here you can have one of my onigiri, it's a fair trade." Sasuke offered in an attempt to repay the other boys generosity. It wasn't that he was trying to be nice, he just didn't like owing people things.

Naruto accepted the onigiri, mainly because it was something he rarely ever ate. The rice ball with a little treat inside, he made a mental note to learn how to make it. Naruto took a bite and noticed the flavor was a little sourer then he was used to, but he still ate it happily. Once again the boys fell into a comfortable silence. Naruto finished his lunch first and put his bento away.

With his lunch finished Naruto promptly pulled out a storage scroll from his schoolbag and pumped some chakra into it. Instantly a stack of sealing paper popped out along with a pot of ink and various brushes. Naruto got to work on practicing his writing. Sealing was a finicky art, every single detail had to be perfectly drawn out or the seal wouldn't work. As a result he had to practice his calligraphy constantly, this was extremely difficult since he had never had good handwriting but he was determined to get better.

"I thought they only sold storage scrolls to certified ninja?" Sasuke asked, breaking the blond out of his practice. "And I don't remember us learning sealing, I thought that was on next semester's lesson plan?"

Naruto was surprised by Sasuke's questions, the boy rarely ever talked to his fellow students or even the teachers. He decided to humor him. "There's no law against making sealing scrolls yourself, and I've been studying sealing independent of the academy. My clan was renowned for its Fuuinjutsu so I intend to keep that tradition alive."

That information shocked Sasuke. While he had never bothered to talk to his fellow students he did pride himself on knowing anyone of importance in his class. He knew every single student with connection to a powerful family or clan. "What clan are you a part of?" Judging by the boys whiskers he could be a distant relation to the Inuzuka. But that was highly doubtful since Inuzuka clan members painted their faces.

"I'm part of the Uzumaki clan…well sort of the last member of it really." Naruto began. "My clan was wiped out years ago when the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed. So I plan on restoring my clan to its former glory here in Konoha."

That surprised Sasuke. He had of course heard of the Uzumaki clan, they were longtime allies of leaf. "I've heard of the Uzumaki clan, I just never thought you were a member. From what I learned in history class Uzumaki was an extremely common surname in that part of the world."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, most people assume I'm just a descendant of somebody from whirlpool, but my mom was a member of the actual Uzumaki clan. As far as I know I'm the last member of the clan since my mother died."

Sasuke was surprised by the new information, he knew Naruto was an orphan but he had no idea the circumstances were so similar to his own. "I'm sorry to hear that, I wish you luck in restoring your clan." His sincerity surprised Naruto, the boy wasn't used to that sort of sincerity from others, much less a guy like Sasuke.

"Thanks." Naruto responded. "I know you must be sick of hearing this but I'm sorry for your loss and wish you the best luck in restoring your own clan."

"I am sick of hearing it, but at least you can understand my pain. Which makes your sympathy sincere. All the others know nothing of what it's like to lose family." Sasuke coldly responded. Naruto didn't really know how to respond to that, the conversation was a bit more awkward then he was used to.

Naruto decided the safest response would be to agree. "I suppose you're right. My clan's extermination happened decades ago so I can't relate to how you must feel in regards to that. But I understand the pain of losing your parents. I never really knew my dad but I knew my mother." It wasn't a complete lie, he just decided not to mention that the mother he met was a chakra projection that had been sealed into him along with a nine tailed fox demon. "I would give anything in order to have her back in my life."

Not knowing what to say Sasuke responded in one of his trademark grunts and finished his own lunch. With nothing left to talk about Naruto decided to try and break down some barriers with the boy. Naruto turned away from his calligraphy and offered the other boy a brush and sealing paper. "If you want I can teach you some basic seals." The blond offered. "I know it might not be interesting but it's always useful to be able to make your own seals."

Sasuke's immediate instinct was to say no, but he knew that the academy sealing program was a joke. He was fighting between his pride as an Uchiha and his desire to have every advantage in the inevitable fight against his brother. Eventually his pride won out.

"Thanks but my clan's specialty is ninjutsu, I'm more of a direct combat sort of person." The Uchiha responded. "Thanks for the offer and thanks for letting me eat lunch up here." Sasuke began to pack up his belongings and began to walk back to class.

"Sure thing, come by anytime, I'm here every day." Naruto called out, trying to hide his annoyance. Once Sasuke had left the roof he let out a frustrated sigh. "That guys a jerk but not as much of jerk as I thought…I think I can understand why he acts that way."

"**Can you really?"** A voice called out from within him. Naruto sometimes hated the fact that Kurama was free to eavesdrop on everything.

"Yes I can, we are both alike…yet so very different." Naruto muttered as he began to pack his things for his return to class. "Besides If I can understand why you're a jerk I can easily understand Sasuke."

"**Believe what you will boy. " **Kurama muttered. **"It is no matter to me who you choose to associate with, I have more important things to do."**

"Like what?"

"**Sleeping for one thing, now if you'll excuse me…" **

Naruto chose to let the fox nap, he was always more agreeable when he was well rested. Naruto focused on finishing packing up his belongings and started to head down for class. He was tempted to skip but he knew Iruka-sensei would have him stay after school if he was caught skipping.

"Looks like things are going to get more interesting from here on out."

XXXXXXX

Authors Note

Wow I really hated writing this chapter. So many clichés I must work through until I can begin to use the ideas that made me want to write this story. Just a little more of the academy next chapter, then we can get to Naruto becoming a Genin…hopefully. I wanted to finish up the academy all at once but this chapter was already pushing 11,000 words.

If you guys want long chapters please tell me so in the reviews, otherwise I'm going to keep breaking them up for better flow.

For those asking about pairings I will have eventual pairings but that's not what this story is about. But let me make one thing clear, there will be no Yaoi or Yuri between main characters. I have nothing against those types of stories it's just not going to be a part of my story.

First off the Uzumaki embassy/estate, I made it up but it seems like it should have existed and it should have been given to Naruto. So much stuff in the manga doesn't add up in regards to how the Third raised Naruto. So I took creative liberties.

Some of you might think Sasuke was a bit OOC, There's been a disturbing trend in fanfiction of writing pre-time skip Sasuke as emotionless and psychotic. I have nothing against that but I want to make one thing clear. Pre-time skip Sasuke was a three dimensional character, while post timeskip sasuke is...crazy.

I want to thank all of you who reviewed, I know the first chapter was a cliché as was this chapter but I promise I'll keep trying to shift things up a bit. Your reviews were truly awesome, even the criticisms, because they help me push myself to be a better writer.

If you have any questions throw them my way. I'll even listen to suggestions, but keep in mind this is my story and I'm writing it the way I want to, so if I don't use your suggestions don't take it personally. Also I can't answer questions if you review anonymously. Keep that in mind.

Thank you all for your support, please leave a review. I'll even accept a "Cool Story bro"…but please try to leave a little more than that.


	3. Graduation and Teamwork

**Chapter 3**

**Graduation and Teamwork**

**Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto or any properties associated with Naruto**

XXXXXXX

Naruto was figuratively dying.

The academy environment was terrible beyond all belief. At first things had been fine, the first year was mostly history and introduction into shinobi training, but this year was boring. He didn't understand how a shinobi school could be so boring until he asked Iruka about why there was so much focus on things not related to ninja training.

"_This school functions as a school for training future ninja of Konoha which means covering ninja skills, but this school is also required to cover the basic skills and knowledge of a civilian school. It wouldn't be very good if we allowed people to become ninja but neglected basic classes such as math. A person can't function in society if they don't know how to do something like pay bills, or count the money in their bank. This academy also takes up numerous years of a child's life, if someone drops out they still need a good general education to be able to enter a trade school." _

Naruto understood the lesson Iruka was trying to get across but it didn't help. He grew to hate the academy atmosphere.

It upset him that out of the dozens of instructors in the academy none were nice to him except for Iruka. Thankfully Iruka was his homeroom teacher.

So he had that going for him, which is nice.

Most of the other children shunned him, even after so much time had passed. It was sad that in a school with over two hundred students he couldn't find many who would accept him. Luckily there were some who were indifferent or at least somewhat kind to him.

Surprisingly it was the clan children who were the nicest to him. Shikamaru, Chouji, and Kiba tended to be nice to him but they weren't really friends. Just good acquaintances. Shikamaru for the most part didn't want to hang out with him because hanging out with someone mischievous and active would be too troublesome. Chouji simply followed Shikamaru's lead and Kiba was simply not interested in anyone other than his dog.

Naruto hadn't even bothered asking Ino or Sakura, they might be the cutest girls in class but their interests were very singular. Shino was a strange one, he said he had nothing against Naruto personally but he had to obey his parents' wishes that he keep a distance from the blond. Hinata had simply stared at him bug eyed and promptly ran away.

She was a strange, even for a girl.

There was also Sasuke, it had been two months since their talk on the academy roof. Sasuke had taken up Naruto on his offer and ate lunch with him every day. They almost always ate in silence but sometimes they would discuss the courses in the academy or exchange information about their respective clans. But beyond that the Uchiha was a brick wall.

Naruto shook the thoughts about his classmates from his head and looked out of the academy's window. It was going to rain tonight, which meant he could intensify his training a bit more than usual. His endless training was hard but he knew he had to train in order to become Hokage. He decided to focus on Iruka in order to get his mind off training for a bit.

"And that class is how you figure out a basic long division problem." Iruka concluded happily. "Now if you'll turn to page 109 of your books you'll find that numerals can be-"

On second thought hellish training didn't sound so bad.

XXXXXX

Sasuke liked the rain.

It wasn't for some deep or artistic reason or because he had pleasant memories associated with the rain. He simply liked the rain because less people were out in the streets. Which meant less people would stand around gawking and whispering about the 'Last Uchiha' of Konoha.

Sadly it was only a light drizzle so there were still people in the streets as he walked home. But he did his best to ignore them all, he was in a bad mood since the rain would interfere with his training. He decided to go down to a small park where he would relax whenever he was in a bad mood.

His favorite spot to sit on was a small dock next to one of the parks large ponds. He was hoping to get some solitude since training was out of the question. Trying to attempt his clan's fire ninjutsu in the rain was a huge pain on the ass. When he reached the dock he was surprised to see an orange blur running across the water of the large pond. It took him a moment to realize that the blur was none other than Naruto.

At first he thought he had gotten something in his eye or that someone had cast a genjutsu on him. After rubbing his eyes and attempting to break the genjutsu it was obvious that he wasn't hallucinating. Naruto was running across the water of the pond as if it was solid ground.

"What the hell is he doing?"

Naruto himself was holding a spool on ninja wire attached to a kunai. He was using it as a makeshift harpoon in an attempt to spear some of the Ayu and Tilapia that lived in the ponds waters. He was currently running across the ponds surface chasing a Ayu . Luckily the silver fish always swam near the top of the water, making it easier to track them. Naruto threw his kunai and smiled as it pierced the fish's body. He reeled in the ninja wire and put the now dead fish into a small bag he had tied to his side.

"Three large Ayu and two tilapia. That's enough for the rest of the week." Naruto happily declared. Fishing in this fashion was extremely good training since it forced him to water walk, thus making his chakra control excellent. It was one thing to be able to walk on water when you were actively focusing on controlling your chakra. But focusing on another task while walking on water was another level of difficulty entirely.

He also made sure to do this on rainy days. The rain disrupted the water's surface and caused the water to be in constant motion. This made focusing chakra even harder and added an extra layer of difficulty to the training. He was mainly doing this in an effort to increase his chakra control to the point he could perform his clans signature water jutsu. His clan had techniques for various elements, but since the Land of Whirlpools lived up to its name and was on water, the ninja within it became adept with water abilities.

"I'm already on the water, so I guess I could try it out." Naruto said to himself as he flashed through a few hand seals.

"Suiton: Teppodama (Water Release: Gunshot)!" Naruto kneading the chakra in his stomach, converting it into water. Everything was going well until he tried to shoot it out of his body. There was too much water and the technique expanded in his throat and stomach. A few seconds later Naruto vomited all of the techniques water out of his body. He simply stood there on top of the pond coughing up water and wondering what went wrong.

"After all this hard work I still can't get it right!" Naruto yelled angrily as he stomped on the water he was standing on.

"**Even your mother was able to use that technique at her age, and she was far from being a genius."** Kurama chimed in, enjoying his containers frustration. Naruto wasn't in the mood so he quickly calmed himself down.

"Whatever Kurama, if you don't have anything helpful to say just go back to sleep."

"**Believe it or not I didn't just chime in to annoy you, although that was an enjoyable side effect. I wanted to tell you that you have an audience." **

Naruto turned his gaze to the shore and saw Sasuke standing on the edge of the docks, watching him. Sasuke had an unreadable expression which made Naruto nervous. But he decided to see what the Uchiha was up to. He walked over to the docks in an attempt to talk to the boy but Sasuke beat him to the punch.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked, but by the tone of his voice it was obviously a demand. Naruto didn't care for that tone but decided to answer anyway.

"Chakra control exercises, my clan is known for having extremely large chakra reserves so I have to put extra effort into my chakra control to be able to use ninjutsu." It wasn't a complete lie, he simply decided to leave out the fact that the presence of a tailed beast inside his body made it even harder for him to perform.

That answer surprised Sasuke, but he immediately understood what the blond was talking about.

He couldn't really relate to the problem, the Uchiha were ninjutsu specialists. It wasn't just because they could copy other people's techniques. Their chakra reserves were rather small compared to most other peoples, which made it easy for them to manipulate chakra. The reason that they were able to perform so many jutsu with such small reserves was due to the fact Uchiha chakra was far more potent than most other peoples, meaning they had to use only a small amount of it to perform a jutsu that would otherwise drain somebody.

Sasuke nodded in understanding to the blond. "I see, but that didn't look like any chakra control exercise I've ever seen. As far as I know the leaf exercise is the only one they teach at the academy." The Uchiha watched as the blond climbed up on to the dock where he was standing.

"Yeah that's true." Naruto agreed. "But these are more advanced ones, I try to work them into everything I do in life. I could've have easily gone to the store to buy dinner but I decided to combine shopping with training." He gestured to the bag of fish tied to his waist. "This lets me train all day and still get things accomplished. It also helps me save money on groceries."

As much as Sasuke hated to admit it that was a good idea. He wished he had been able to work training in with his everyday life. As much as he hated to do it he needed to ask Naruto about these chakra control exercises. Getting stronger was more important than a bit of wounded pride.

"Could you maybe…show me some scrolls on these exercises?" Sasuke muttered in a low voice. He didn't want to seem too eager and he didn't want the blond to gloat about being better at something then him. Luckily Naruto simply rubbed his chin.

"I guess I could…but in exchange you have to teach me one of your fire jutsu."

Sasuke knew that he might have to bargain with the blond and even respected the boy for asking for something in return. It showed that he was also interested in becoming a stronger shinobi, something he could respect.

That didn't mean he was going to accept that bargain.

"I only know jutsu that belong to my clan, so I can't teach them to you." He expected Naruto to protest but was surprised by the other boy nodding in understanding.

"I understand that, I wouldn't want to spread my clan's techniques around either." Naruto said. "But isn't there anything you can teach me that isn't related to your clan?"

Sasuke felt a bit embarrassed but there really wasn't. He focused solely on his clan techniques. But he knew how he could help the other boy.

"I don't know any non-Uchiha Jutsu." He confessed. "But I can help you master your own Jutsu. I could tell from here that you expanded the water technique prematurely. You're supposed to pump chakra into it right when it leaves your mouth so that it expands once outside of your body. It's the same concept behind my clan's fireball technique."

Naruto smiled his signature smile. "We have a deal, you help me with ninjutsu and I help you with chakra control. First we need to get out of this rain, both of us are soaked." He gestured to both of them and indeed their clothes were soaked all the way through. "You should come over to my place, I'll make us a nice hot meal and I can show you some scrolls on chakra control."

Sasuke had never gone over to another student's house before, but he supposed if he had to hang out with anyone it would be Naruto. The boy was tolerable company and they shared similar interests as far as shinobi training went.

He nodded.

"Hey you brats!"

Both boys turned to see who had spoken and found a large man standing on the shoreline holding a large wooden stick.

"How many times do I have to tell you that spear fishing is illegal in these ponds? You have to use a regulation fishing rod!"

Naruto glared at the man. "It's not spear fishing I'm using a kunai and wire you blind old bastard!"

The man became furious and ran at the boys. Naruto grabbed Sasuke's arm and dragged him away. Both boys were running for their lives.

"Don't worry Sasuke he usually runs out of steam after the first five minutes." Naruto declared while laughing. Sasuke simply ran with the blond and began to wonder what he had just gotten himself into after agreeing to train with the boy.

Little did he know that this meeting would alter both their destinies forever.

XXXXXXX

**2 years later**

"I am looking good." Naruto said as he flexed his muscles in front of his bedroom mirror. It had been almost four years since he had joined the academy and his endless amounts of hard work were paying off. He wasn't ripped but his muscles were clearly defined for a boy his age. He had also experienced a slight growth spurt year ago thanks to his healthier diet. He was four feet nine inches tall, making him less than a half inch shorter than Sasuke. "I am going to be a stud when I grow up."

"**All I see is a pitiful bag of flesh."** Kurama chimed in, breaking Naruto out of his self-admiration. **"And despite your endless hard work you still have your mother's fat face, it makes you look like a blond chipmunk."**

Naruto knew the fox could see through his eyes so he flipped off his own reflection. "First off, you're just jealous because you don't look this good. Second, my mother was beautiful, if I had her hair the girls would be breaking down the doors of my home trying to get to me." Naruto retorted. "Also this body of mine is the result of endless hours of blood, sweat, and tears. So forgive me if I wish to admire my own work."

Kurama couldn't help but roll his eyes at the boy's statement. **"My form is perfect in all ways, I hold immense power yet my form is sleek and graceful. It makes your pitiful form of blood and flesh look like garbage in comparison." **

Naruto decided to ignore his tenant. Kurama hadn't changed much over the years, the only difference was the Fox was much more talkative then before. Naruto hoped it was sign that the fox was becoming more comfortable with him, but he didn't want to get his hopes up.

Naruto pulled himself out of his thoughts and decided to get dressed. He grabbed an orange long sleeved shirt, and black pants. He sadly had to retire his jumpsuit after it was obvious that its bulkiness messed with his movements, and it was impossible to train with it on since the weather in Fire Country was so hot. "I miss my old outfit." He murmured sadly.

"**Good riddance I say, that thing was an abomination." **

Ignoring Kurama's jibe Naruto finished dressing and headed down two stories to his kitchen. He quickly prepared himself a simple breakfast of toast, bacon, eggs, and orange juice. He loved his new home, and couldn't help but admire it even after living in it for the past four years. He sat down at his dining room table and quickly ate his breakfast before taking his dishes to the sink and doing the dishes.

"**You seem to be in a rush today, I suppose that little peanut brain of yours forgot it's the weekend."**

Naruto wouldn't rise to the bait. "In case you forgot tomorrow is the Genin exam so I have tons of stuff to do today, I need to practice and go shopping for all my ninja supplies."

"**A bit premature don't you think? You haven't even taken the Genin exam."**

Naruto scoffed at Kurama's words. "I've mastered every single academy Jutsu to the point I could do them in my sleep. All those endless hours practicing chakra control has finally paid off. I worked endlessly while all those other students were out playing with friends."

"**Indeed, hanging out with friends, asking girls out on dates, spending time with parents, and having a life are things that only losers do."** Kurama declared with obvious sarcasm.

"Girls are going to be the ones asking me out soon, and you're the reason I don't have parents you ass." Naruto retorted as he finished up the dishes and walked out into the living room.

"**Sure, bring that up again." **

The impending argument was broken up by the sound of knocking. Naruto turned to his front door with a grin plastered on his face. He walked up to the front door and opened it revealing the form of Uchiha Sasuke.

His friend.

It wasn't a friendship that was built overnight or even over weeks. It had taken almost an entire year for the two of them to approach a relationship that even bordered on friendly. In truth both of their personalities were like oil and water. Naruto was bright, happy, and outgoing. While Sasuke was darker, calm, and introverted.

After helping each other out with training they eventually started to walk home together since the apartment Sasuke lived in was only a mile away from his own house. That led to them walking to school together. Sometimes when they were feeling competitive they would spar with each other before they parted ways.

Eventually this constant association and a form of mutual respect gave birth to one of the strangest friendships Naruto had ever had. It was a strange type of friendship that walked hand in hand with rivalry. It wasn't without its problems, both of them fought and would sometimes piss each other off, but at the end of the day they still remained friends.

'_I wish I could have a normal friendship where two people hang out, read books, and maybe go fishing together. But instead I get angry demon fox, and an avenger.'_ Naruto thought to himself. _'Oh well, they might be strange but they are my friends.'_

"Ready dobe?" The Uchiha gestured to the training field on the side of the house. "The score is still 16 to 33 in my favor."

"Well it's going to be 17 to 33 after today!" Naruto declared as he ran out to the training field as Sasuke casually trailed behind the blond. Both boys reached the training field and spent a good five minutes stretching. Eventually both stood far apart from each other in the center of the field.

"So what type of spar are we doing?" Naruto asked as he cricked his neck.

"Anything goes, we're about to be shinobi so there's no point in holding back."

Naruto pulled out a kunai with a weak explosive note tied to it. He threw it far away from the both of them. Once the note exploded the battle would begin.

After a few seconds the note exploded and both boys leapt into action.

Both threw a barrage of kunai's and shuriken at each other whilst charging one another. Sasuke easily dodged the ones Naruto threw while Naruto used one of his own kunai to deflect the ones Sasuke had thrown. Eventually both boys clashed in a flurry of punches and kicks as they engaged in taijutsu.

Both were holding their ground but it was obvious that Sasuke was winning. Naruto threw harder punches and had much more stamina but Sasuke had his clans taijutsu style combined with his natural grace.

Eventually Sasuke ducked under one of Naruto's punches and delivered a series of blow to the blonde's stomach, and followed that up with a roundhouse kick to his chest. Naruto winced but tried to deliver a left uppercut in retaliation but Sasuke easily blocked it with his right fist.

Sasuke delivered a strong kick aimed at Naruto's side but Naruto managed to raise both his arms in front of him and brace himself which allowed him to block his rivals kick. Naruto took advantage of the Uchiha's outstretched leg and grabbed it with both his hands. Naruto used all his strength to pull and swung the boy around and let go, Sasuke flew through the air but managed to recover by rolling into his landing.

Knowing the close quarters combat wasn't going anywhere Naruto jumped away from Sasuke and began performing a series of hand seals. He had spent the last few years trying to learn his clan's offensive ninjutsu. Kneading chakra in one's body to be used offensively was a dangerous thing to do, but with Sasuke's help and trial and error he managed it.

Seeing what his rival was doing Sasuke begin performing his own hand seals. Both boys finished at the same time and unleashed their techniques.

"Katon: Goenka (Fire Release: Great Flame thrower)!" A steady stream of fire erupted from Sasuke's mouth towards his blond rival but Naruto had finished his technique.

"Suiton: Mizurappa (Water Release: Wild Water Wave)!" A large jet of water erupted from Naruto's mouth and headed straight for his raven haired rival.

Both Techniques met between the boys and canceled each other out as Sasuke's flamethrower was extinguished by Naruto's water jet but the flames were hot enough to evaporate the water. This caused the entire training field to be shrouded in steam, blinding both boys and making the air uncomfortably hot.

Sasuke tried to find his opponent but could not find the blond anywhere. Right when the steam was beginning to dissipate an orange blur ran towards him and tried to deliver a surprise sucker punch. Sasuke easily ducked under it and delivered a retaliatory punch of his own, only for the blonde to turn into water and dissolve.

"Mizu Bunshin." Sasuke muttered angrily. One of the many things that annoyed him was his friend's immense chakra reserves. Most people found anything beyond the simple Bunshin no jutsu extremely taxing because creating functional clones that could fight on the user's behalf was taxing on ones chakra reserves. Members of the Uzumaki clan had chakra to spare, as a result they became exceptional with using clones in battles, and it was a talent Naruto had inherited.

Several more clones came out of the steamy mist and he had to dodge their attacks. Not willing to waste energy dispatching them he dropped a small explosive note on the ground and leapt away, the clones weren't fast enough and were destroyed in the explosion.

The steam finally dissipated and he saw Naruto standing in the middle of the training field with a confident smile on his face.

"Let's see you handle this!" Naruto yelled as his hands formed a ram seal.

"Iwa Bunshin no Jutsu ( Earth Clone Technique)!"

The earth around Naruto shook a little as several pieces of dirt and rock rose up and formed themselves into perfect copies of Naruto. There were twenty clones in total and Sasuke could only glare at the numerical advantage Naruto had. Naruto and his clones charged, intent on bringing Sasuke down with sheer numbers.

Sasuke delivered a strong punch to the face of the first clone to get close to him and winced as a small amount of pain shot through his hand. The clones face fell apart and the clone crumbled into a pile of dirt but it made one thing clear, hitting clones made out of hardened stone and earth was a bad idea.

Before the other clones and Naruto himself could reach him he channeled as much chakra as he could into his legs and jumped as far up into the air as possible, something only possible thanks to his now refined chakra control. He looked down at the surprised expressions of the numerous Naruto's below him and began to perform hand seals.

"Katon: Hosenak no Jutsu (Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique)!" A volley of small fireballs flew out of the Uchiha's mouth and bombarded the area below him. The clones were unable to dodge in time and were consumed by the explosive force of the fire. Naruto himself had jumped away but not before getting his left arm slightly burnt by one of the fireballs.

Sasuke landed and immediately bolted for Naruto, intent on finishing the battle. He closed the distance between the two and delivered a swift uppercut to the blonds jaw. Naruto replied with a series of kicks which Sasuke had to block, but it was obvious Naruto wouldn't be able to fight well due to his now inured left arm.

Sasuke reared his right arm back and delivered a strong punch to Naruto's chest, much to the boy's surprise the blond took the hit instead of blocking and reared his head back and delivered a vicious head-butt to the Uchiha.

The force of the blow caused Sasuke to spin around, at which point Naruto delivered an open palm thrust into the boys back. The blow hurt but Sasuke quickly recovered and turned to face this opponent who was also clutching his head in pain.

Sasuke knew he needed to end this now, but before he could Naruto formed a rat hand seal.

"Enmaku no Jutsu (Smokescreen Technique)!" Naruto exhaled a thick black smokescreen out of his mouth that coated most of the training field. Sasuke couldn't see anything in front of him and cursed his luck.

He jumped back and began to wait for the smokescreen to dissipate.

'_He can't see in this any better than I can, so it's a waiting game.'_ He thought to himself as he took a moment to regain his breath and strategize his next movie.

Much to his surprise a kunai embedded itself in the ground next to him and promptly exploded, throwing Sasuke back several yards where he landed in a heap.

Before he could get up he felt a kunai on his throat.

"18 to 33, someday it will be in my favor." Naruto happily declared while flashing Sasuke a big toothy grin.

The Uchiha had to suppress a frustrated grunt and instead picked himself up. "Not bad dobe." Sasuke winced as he nursed several bruises on his body.

Two years ago he would have been cursing his blonde friend, demanding to know how he had won, if he cheated, and the secrets to his strength.

In fact that's what had happened the first time Naruto had won one of their spars.

It was around the fourth time they had fought one another in a friendly spar. He had won all previous engagements so he was confident of his victory. What he didn't know was Naruto had been relentlessly training his body and refining his taijutsu. So when they fought the boy had managed to deliver several crushing blows that caused Sasuke to lose his footing and in the process the battle.

Sasuke remembered raging at the blonde, cursing him, demanding he tell him how he won, and accusing him of cheating and various other hurtful things. Naruto had stood there staring at him and once he had finished his accusations Naruto responded with words that he would remember for the rest of his days.

"_I don't know what the hell your problem is! All this time you've been unwilling to acknowledge me as an equal. So I went out and trained myself until my muscles burned and I could barely move in order to make you acknowledge my strength. But now that I can stand up to you in a fight you accuse me of cheating and curse me. It's like you have a superiority and an inferiority complex you prideful bastard!"_

After getting over the shock of Naruto even knowing what a superiority and an inferiority complex was he dismissed the blonde's words and cursed him. But after the fight he realized the truth behind the other boy's words. He had been dismissive of Naruto and believed the other boy beneath him since he wasn't as strong as he was. So Naruto had worked himself to the bone to fight on par with him.

Instead of congratulating Naruto for his hard work he yelled at him. It reminded him how he always wanted to train himself to be better than his brother, but his father had simply dismissed Sasuke's efforts.

It took a month for Sasuke to work up the nerve to apologize to the blond, mainly because his pride wouldn't allow him to even talk to the other boy. Luckily Naruto was very forgiving and the sight of Sasuke actually muttering an apology made him realize it was sincere. He had accepted the apology and treated Sasuke out to ramen to prove that there were no hard feelings.

Sasuke realized that it was his pride that made him almost lose his only friend and rival. His pride made him believe he was untouchable, that he was the best, and when he was shown the error oh his ways his pride made him act foolishly without thinking. It was that kind of pride that would keep him from developing as a shinobi. It would make him underestimate his opponents and keep him from gaining strength.

Pride would keep him from killing his brother.

Since that day he had grown in strength because of Naruto. If he was to grow he had to train and spar with someone of equal strength. While Naruto was a bit slow, he made up for it with determination. He forced Sasuke to train harder than before, he couldn't let himself rest since Naruto would surpass him by leaps and bounds through sheer force of will.

The two of them helped each other greatly. Naruto had taught him numerous chakra control exercises and in exchange Sasuke helped his friend with his ninjutsu. He wanted to teach Naruto some Jutsu but he felt it would be betraying his clan's memory to teach them to an outsider.

Luckily Naruto was understanding and simply told him to throw some techniques his way once Sasuke had activated his sharingan and used it to memorize numerous techniques.

In the end both of them had their strengths and weaknesses. Sasuke still won most of their fights but Naruto would manage to surprise him and win occasionally which kept the avenger on his toes.

This time was no different.

"I wasn't expecting a smokescreen technique." Sasuke muttered as he dusted himself off and began his trek back to Naruto's house. "I also don't see how you found me in that smokescreen, I know you have amazing hearing but that was something else."

Naruto ran up behind his friend and yanked on the back of the Uchiha's shirt. Sasuke was about to yell at the blond for his rudeness but soon found himself facing a slip of paper Naruto was holding proudly in his uninjured hand.

"A special tracking seal I created, it reacts to the one I placed on my arm before the fight." Naruto lifted the sleeve off his right arm and revealed another seal attached to his arm. "Both are linked so I was able to track you easily throughout the fight. I placed it on your back when I delivered an open palm strike during our last bit of taijutsu."

Sasuke admired the seal for a moment, it was flawlessly crafted, and a genius little creation.

"Your sealing skills have also improved."

"You bet they have!" Naruto declared happily as the two of them walked over to his house. While his ninjutsu arsenal was below Sasuke's, he had a knowledge of sealing that would make many people jealous. Apparently most shinobi who decided to learn Fuuinjutsu would simply learn the proper sealing arrays and preexisting designs. Most were content with copying seals that already existed and never bothering to understand the underlying theory and laws behind each seals design.

But Naruto had started off by reading his clans texts on seal theory and learning the meaning of every symbol, every brush stroke, and why a symbol did what it did. The months upon months he spent studying theory had been dry and boring beyond all comprehension but thanks to him toughing it out he was able to understand seals better than the average shinobi. It's also thanks to his understanding of the seal theory that would allow him to tweak regular seals to be better specialized or to even create his own seals. So far he had only created a few original seals, but he knew with enough effort he could pump out even more impressive ones.

Both boys entered Naruto's house and cleaned themselves up. Naruto had to change his shirt and apply burn ointment to his arm, luckily his wounds healed quickly thanks to his clan's life force and Kurama's healing ability.

Eventually they were both cleaned up and patched up.

"Alright dobe, let's get going, we need to get ready for tomorrow." Sasuke said as he walked out into the living room.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "You just got here, don't you want to hang out? Maybe go downtown and watch a movie or-"

"No." Was Sasuke's immediate response and he headed towards the front door and put on his sandals.

Naruto let out a frustrated sigh. "It wouldn't kill you to have some real fun every once in a while, and that's coming from a guy who trains almost all day."

"Hn" Was all Sasuke gave as a response. Naruto glared at the Uchiha but followed his lead regardless. They both left his house and Naruto quickly activated his security seals that he placed around his property. They were pretty standard issue seals that would give anyone a small shock if they tried to force their way in to his house.

The two boys began the long walk into the busier sections of Konoha. Sasuke was focused on reaching their intended destination while Naruto spout out everything that entered his head.

"I heard that the Konoha power plant is powered by the Naka river dam and an entire platoon of shinobi who use lighting Jutsu to create electricity."

"I think I might like pork ramen better then Miso ramen, I love both and I don't want to choose."

"I hear they started showing movies with sound AND color. The new princess Fuun mover is going to be coming out soon. She is the most amazing actress, I hope that someday when we are ninjas we can find her and get her autograph."

Sasuke lost his patience. "I don't care about the power plant or ramen and the last time I agreed to see a movie with you we got kicked out because you kept yelling instructions to the characters." In truth he had only agreed to see the movie because Naruto promised to show him how to sneak in with wall walking. They had clung to the ceiling and watched the movie for free until Naruto's loud mouth caused the audience to throw popcorn and drinks at them until they fell from the ceiling.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well next time I promise to be quiet. Besides we can sneak in again, it will be like training. Managing to stick to the ceiling for an entire movie is pretty tough training."

He did have a point but Sasuke refused to acknowledge it.

Naruto let out a tired sigh, he was about to suggest something else when his favorite tenant decided to chime in.

"**I don't see why you try so hard to be his friend."** Kurama muttered. **"Fighting with him on a regular basis will help improve your skills but hanging out with him will get you nothing."**

'_Since when are you so concerned about my social life?'_

Kurama snorted. **"I care nothing about you, but I am sick of seeing that boys annoying little emotionless face every time I look through your eyes when the two of you hang out." **

'_If I didn't know any better I'd say you were jealous.' _Naruto intoned, he could feel Kurama's hatred radiate off his seal.

"**Why would I be jealous of that stupid dark haired child?"**

'_It's so obvious now, I'm spending time with someone else who is filled with hatred, which is making you angry because you're afraid I'll replace you. Don't worry Kurama, you and your hatred will always have a special place in my heart. Sasuke wouldn't be able to replace the special bond we have.'_

"**Why you little insignificant brat, when I escape this seal rip out your organs and devour your limbs one by one, using my chakra to keep you alive through the whole process!" **

'_I love it when you get angry, your fur gets all poofy and cute.'_

"**My fur never gets poofy you little whelp!" **

'_Go on and get angrier, you'll just prove my point.'_

Kurama shut his mouth and promptly ignored the blonde.

'_Sasuke or Kurama, not sure which one is harder to get along with.'_

The two of them continued down Konoha's bustling streets, it was almost noon so the streets were full of villager. People running around trying to finish up their weekend errands, kids enjoying their last day of relaxation before school tomorrow, and families eating lunch.

Eventually both boys reached their intended destination.

It was one of Konoha's oldest shinobi goods stores, _Masumune Ninja Goods_. It was the most expensive ninja shop in town but no one would ever doubt its quality. The family that owned it had been one of the first to settle Konoha and arm its shinobi.

Both boys entered the large shop and found themselves surrounded by numerous items. Sadly most of them were off limits since they were not yet shinobi of Konoha but they could still but the basics. Both boys bought new kunai, shuriken and various other basic supplies. But they were mainly here to get new outfits.

Sasuke was fine with his current long-sleeved black shirt with the Uchiha crest on the back. In truth they were here for Naruto. Through constant bickering and winning several challenges Sasuke managed to get Naruto to replace his current wardrobe. But even now it seemed the blond was intent on being difficult.

"No I said I want the undershirt to be orange." Naruto complained as the shops tailor tried to help Naruto put together a practical shinobi outfit. The tailor was an old woman who ran the shop with her husband.

She was not amused.

"Look here you little brat, you're going to get yourself killed in the field wearing so much orange." The woman declared. "A little won't hurt but you need a dark or neutral color for your outfit to offer any form of camouflage." l

After twenty minutes of arguing Naruto finally agreed to a new wardrobe. He wore a long sleeved black shinobi jacket with an orange collar and orange trimmings. He decided to also wear a mesh shirt underneath the jacket along with black shinobi pants with matching fingerless gloves. He also picked out a pair of black sandals and an orange belt for himself to add more color to the pants.

After all that was done Sasuke looked at Naruto and was amazed at the transformation. Aside from the orange the boy looked the part of a shinobi. Unfortunately the blond wasn't pleased.

"I still think it should have more orange." He muttered as the two walked up to the counter to pay. Both boys had numerous shinobi tools and clothes they had bought. Before they could pay something behind the counter caught Naruto's eye.

"Are those goggles?"

The old man behind the counter followed Naruto's eyes and found him staring at a pair of goggles in the corner gathering dust. The old man walked over and brought them over to the two boys.

"Yeah these were once a popular item back in the day. But since the Uchiha clan was…" he trailed off not wanting to mention it in front of Sasuke but the boy simply gestured with his hand showing it was okay. "Since the clans decline these no longer sell like they used to"

That captured Sasuke's interest. "Why did members of my clan like these goggles so much?" he asked while gesturing to the goggles. They had an orange lens, which is no doubt why Naruto had been attracted to them but otherwise looked like ordinary goggles.

"These goggles are my own invention. Back when I was a young genin I had an Uchiha teammate by the name of Uchiha Kaito. He was my best friend and most trusted comrade. During an engagement we fought several Kumo shinobi. Things were going well until one of them used a Jutsu that created a blinding flash, Kaito who always used his eyes to cast genjutsu was blinded. He was so used to using his eyes in battle that he was unable to fight anymore and was killed." The old man looked sad but continued on. "I created these goggles to make sure no one else suffered such a fate, they became popular with the Uchiha who needed to protect their eyes. The orange and black lensed ones protects the user's eyes from sudden flashes, they also eliminate all glare from the sun which makes it useful to anyone."

Both boys were amazed, before they could say anything the old man reached beneath the counter and brought out several pairs. "No one buys them anymore so you boys can each have a single pair for free. They also come in more colors then orange, I just found orange most useful since the black ones are a bit too dark for some peoples taste." He picked up a pair of goggles and channeled chakra into them. The lens turned from orange to transparent like a window. "Channeling chakra gets rid of the color, allowing you to use them like regular goggles underwater or at night."

Naruto picked up on with two lenses rather than the large single lens ones. He put them on and saw his vision turn slightly orange, he channeled chakra into them and the lens turned clear, making things look normal.

Sasuke didn't like the idea of wearing goggles but picked up a double lensed black one and put it around his neck.

Both boys gave the older man their thanks and paid for their goods. Eventually both boys began to walk home. Naruto was still channeling chakra into his goggles, turning them from clear to orange during the entire walk.

"These are so cool." Naruto declared. "They are just like my old goggles but not as bulky, what do you think of yours Sasuke?"

"I admire the craftsmanship put into them, however I won't be needing them until I activate my sharingan."

Both boys eventually reached a point where they had to part ways. They both needed to get a good night's sleep since the next day was the academy's final exam. Both bid their farewells and went to their respective homes.

XXXXXXX

"I don't say this often but I am proud of all of you." Iruka declared to his class without the slightest hint of falsehood. This was the first class he ever taught with a one hundred percent graduation rate.

While it was true that many would be weeded out by the Jounin in their next test he felt confident a good deal of them would succeed. Those who failed could return for a six month refresher course and retry their luck again with another Jounin.

Almost all succeeded by their second try unless the Jounin deemed them completely hopeless. If that was the case they were offered jobs in the Konoha police force, simple force set up after the Uchiha were eliminated. While technically not a ninja they would act as a local defense force in case of emergency. This was to ensure that kids wouldn't leave with shinobi skills and mix in with the civilian population. If a student left the academy with the knowledge he accumulated he could become a rather troublesome thief.

So it was always best to keep the failures in a position they could be monitored and still serve the village.

But Iruka had confidence with this class. All of them had passed their exams. While some had scored poorly on the written test the practical skill test was aced by everyone.

"This is the first class I've taught with a one hundred percent graduation rate. Tomorrow you will all be assigned to teams with a Jounin-Sensei. It's been my privilege to teach all of you. You can all leave early today to celebrate with your families."

He watched as his students happily shuffled out into the Academy's courtyard and followed the. Seeing their parents congratulate them made Iruka happy. However he saw two of his students sitting under a tree near the swings.

Naruto and Sasuke were watching the other kids be congratulated by their parents. Sasuke looked on sadly while Naruto fumbled around with his headband.

"If I keep my goggles on I can still wear my headband around my forehead, then when I don't want to wear them I can put them around my neck like you do." He said to Sasuke. He replaced the usual blue fabric with a black one but otherwise couldn't be happier with it.

"Hnn" Was Sasuke's response.

"You boys want to go out to dinner?"

Both young men looked up and saw Iruka standing in front of them. The man gave them one of his patented teacher smiles. "You shouldn't spend tonight alone, let's go get some food. You guys can even pick the place."

Naruto had a smile that took up most of his face while Sasuke gave a brisk nod.

XXXXXX

"Welcome back my favorite customers!" Teuchi happily greeted Iruka and his two students into his restaurant.

Iruka looked around Ichiraku Ramen Restaurantand couldn't believe how much it had changed. He hadn't been here for over a year, and the shop had grown a great deal since then. It was no longer a small ramen stand, it was now a full restaurant with booths, tables, and an enormous kitchen in the back.

"When did this place get so big?" Iruka asked as he and his students were seated in a large and comfortable booth.

Old man Teuchi smiled.

"It happened about a year ago, business was terrible since not many people in Konoha wanted ramen. I was going to turn it into a tsukemen shop to draw in more customers. Otherwise I would have had to close up shop." Teuchi explained as he gave the three of them menus. "But after getting myself some investors I was able to completely renovate my shop, hire myself a few workers, create a more traditional restaurant with a huge and diverse menu, and still keep ramen as our specialty."

Iruka was impressed, the menu was diverse. "Who are these investors of yours? Not many people would invest in a ramen stand." The scarred Chuunin pointed out.

The old man laughed. "You're sitting right next to them." He left them in peace to managed the restaurant and welcome in more guests. Iruka looked to the two young boys with shock evident on his face.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Ever since I got my own home I managed to save up a good amount of money, by investing in this place the Old man was able to keep this place open and hire more chefs. Now he can enjoy himself as the host of the restaurant rather than working himself to death in the kitchen."

"My clan had a lot of money from various properties they owned, all of it passed to me making me quite wealthy, so it was easy for me to invest as well. In truth I just wanted this place turned into a more traditional restaurant so I didn't have to always eat ramen whenever Naruto dragged me here." Sasuke muttered as he looked at his own menu.

After a few minutes the owner's daughter Ayame came by to take their orders.

"What can I get you three?" Ayame asked while giving Iruka a small wink. The Chuunin blushed and fumbled with his menu.

"I'll have a miso ramen with a side of tempura." He finally managed, trying his hardest to keep his cool around such a lovely young woman.

"I'll have the Naruto special!" Naruto declared as he handed Ayame his menu. She happily wrote down the two orders and turned to Sasuke.

"What about you Sasuke-san?"

"I'll have the Ahi donburi with a side of katsuobushi." He handed her his menu.

Ayame left to give the orders to the chefs. As she walked away Iruka stared at her, which made Naruto slightly upset.

"Oi Iruka-sensei, don't stare at Ayame-Neechan like some pervert." Naruto muttered which broke Iruka out of his daydream. The Chuunin blushed and stuttered before fixing his student with a stern gaze.

"I wasn't staring at her. I was gathering information, when you start going on missions you'll learn how important it is to gather information whenever you go anywhere." Iruka claimed while entering his usual teacher mode.

"And what information did you find in Ayame's swaying hips?" Sasuke asked, enjoying his teacher's discomfort. This caused Naruto to laugh and Iruka blush and mutter excuses.

The conversation between the three was lighthearted with Iruka congratulating them both on graduating and informing them about their new responsibilities. Eventually Naruto asked a question that was plaguing him all day.

"Which teams will we be assigned to Iruka-Sensei?" Naruto questioned. "Will I be on the same team as Sasuke?"

Before Iruka could answer Sasuke chimed in. "It's likely, while you performed above average with practical skills, your test scores were only barely above failing. The academy uses grades to balance out the teams."

"While that's technically true it's not exactly how we pick teams." Iruka responded which shocked both boys. "Technically we build teams around specific roles, choosing members that complement each other's abilities. We only use grade scores for individuals who have skills that don't lean in any particular direction." He explained.

"What sort of specialty roles?" asked Naruto, confusion etched on his whiskered face.

"We build teams around reconnaissance, scouting, infiltration, and frontline combat." Iruka explained. "Clan children are almost always put together since clans usually have specialty roles that work well together. That's why there's a good deal of pressure for Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji to be put on the same team, since their skills complement each other."

Naruto understood his teacher's points but at the same time it didn't seem right. "But that doesn't seem fair to kids from civilian families." He pointed out.

Iruka nodded. "I agree that it isn't fair, but we are ninjas. We do what is most pragmatic, it's more important that we form good solid teams then focus on fairness. If we don't people could end up getting killed out in the field."

Both Sasuke and Naruto understood but it still hadn't answered their question.

"So will I be on the same team as Sasuke?"

Iruka sighed. "I'm not supposed to reveal any information about the actual teams to students. I will write up a list of recommendations tonight and submit them to the Hokage. He and the Jounin instructors who will be receiving teams will decide what is best. So even I don't know what will happen since I don't get the final say." Just as he finished his explanation Ayame arrived with their food and the group was quickly caught up with their meals.

The food was excellent and all three of them enjoyed their meals greatly. Iruka marveled at Naruto's order, It turns out the 'Naruto special' was a gigantic bowl of miso ramen that could easily feed a sumo wrestler. Sasuke didn't say anything but by the way he was eating his food it was obvious he was enjoying it.

After a wonderful meal filled with light conversation Iruka paid the bill and congratulated his students once again on their graduating. He left the two boys alone and headed back to the Academy to do his paperwork.

"This sucks, what if we aren't on the same team?" Naruto looked expectantly to Sasuke who simply shrugged and got up from the table.

"It doesn't matter, we can still train together when not out on missions." Sasuke stretched his arms and grabbed his school bag. "Well I'm going home to get my stuff ready for tomorrow. See ya." Sasuke left the restaurant as Naruto glared at his friends back.

"He can be such a bastard, he doesn't even care that we might not be put on the same team." Naruto murmured angrily to himself. He was surprised when someone sat across from him.

"There is a way to make sure you two end up on the same team."

Naruto looked up and saw Mizuki take a seat across from him. The silver haired Chunnin leaned back. "Sasuke is being considered for a stealth and infiltration team." He lied. "There is a way to make the Hokage and other Jounin recognize your infiltration skills so that you'll be paired with Sasuke."

"How?" The blond asked, his interest peaked.

"All you have to do is pass a test that shows you have the same skills as Sasuke…"

XXXXXXX

Naruto was sitting in a remote forested area of Konoha, clutching a large scroll in his hands. He had been waiting there for a few hours, finally he heard movement and Mizuki landed in the middle of the clearing.

"Good job Naruto, infiltrating the Hokage tower and grabbing that scroll without raising any alerts is truly amazing. Your infiltration skills are truly exceptional for a genin." Mizuki stated in a voice dripping with false kindness. "Now if you'll hand the scroll to me we can conclude tonight's events."

Naruto threw the scroll over to Mizuki who caught it and smiled.

"So Sasuke and I will be on the same team now right?" Naruto asked, brimming with obvious excitement.

Mizuki laughed. "I'm afraid you won't be on anyone's team Naruto. You see it wouldn't be appropriate for someone like you to be a shinobi."

"What?"

Mizuki had to suppress a smile at the boy's ignorance. "No one would ever allow the nine tailed demon fox to become a shinobi of Konoha, it would be a disgrace to the village."

Naruto simply scratched the back of his head as if he were confused. "What are you talking about? Kyuubi isn't a shinobi of the village, I don't even think we could make a forehead protector big enough for his fat head."

"**If anyone has a fat head it's you. With your mothers fat cheeks and-"** Naruto blocked Kurama's rant out. He had to focus on the situation in front of him.

The look on Mizuki's face was priceless. "You…you already know about the Kyuubi?" Mizuki asked, not quite believing what he was hearing. The blond simply smirked in response.

"I've known for years." He answered. "And his name is Kurama."

Mizuki had a million questions but the truth was that he had wasted enough time here. Growing tired of this conversation he pulled a windmill shuriken from his back and unfolded it. "Well it doesn't matter, you were still stupid enough to bring me the scroll. So now all I have to do is kill you and take the scroll to Orochimaru-sama who will give me the power I deserve." He was about to hurl the shuriken until he heard someone behind him.

"Kage Mane no Jutsu (Shadow imitation Technique)."

Suddenly Mizuki was frozen in place, unable to move a muscle.

"Bubun Baika no Jutsu (Partial Multi-size Technique)."

A giant hand came out of the forest and enveloped his body completely, crushing him. He looked around and saw three very distinct Jounin surround him. He also heard the uncontrollable laughter of one Naruto Uzumaki.

"Did you honestly think I would fall for such a stupid trick Mizuki?" The blond asked, trying to suppress his laughter. He walked up and picked up the scroll. "I ratted your sorry ass out as soon as I could. The scrolls is a fake, even if you managed to escape with it the scroll would have exploded."

Mizuki wanted to curse the blond but the hand that was holding his body was crushing him, he looked to the owner and saw the familiar face of Choza Akimichi. Current head of the Akimichi clan, if he was here then it was easy to guess who the others were.

As if reading his mind Shikaku Nara stepped out of the shadows, having released his jutsu, and behind him was Inoichi Yamanaka. Before Mizuki could bring up the strength to curse his captors they interrupted.

"I can't believe a traitorous little leech like you was instructing our children." Inoichi spoke up and walked up the immobilized Chunnin. "You're lucky you are more use to us alive." Shikaku and Chouze both voiced their agreements, but before they could ask Mizuki anything else, the Hokage himself suddenly appeared in a swirl of leaves and walked up to the now bound Mizuki.

The Hokage was still wearing his robes, but his usual grandfatherly expression was now replaced with the hard look of a veteran shinobi. "I always had my suspicions Orochimaru had agents in the village, and with your long winded monologue you confirmed them." Said the Hokage as he glared at the former teacher. "These fine men will be escorting you to a very nice cell in the Torture and interrogations departments' prison." He turned to Inoichi. " Inoichi I want you assisting Ibiki in the interrogation, I don't care what methods you use or how damaging they are. I want as much information as you can get me."

The three Jounin nodded and took the prisoner away, leaving only Naruto and the Hokage in the clearing.

Sarutobi turned to Naruto and his serious face was replaced with his usual warm grandfatherly one. "Thank you for the excellent work Naruto, you helped us catch a spy and stopped an attempt to steal a dangerous scroll." He reached down and ruffled the blonde's hair, making Naruto pull back.

"I'm not a kid anymore jiji, I'm a ninja of the village." He gestured to his new headband. "And since I did this for the village I get a reward right?" The expectant look on the boy's face made the old man laugh.

"Of course you do Naruto. This operation needs to remain off the books so I can't give you money or put it down that you completed a mission that was easily a B-rank." The Hokage explained, which made Naruto slightly upset. "But I can give you a non-monetary reward."

"What's a non-monetary reward?" Asked Naruto, his confusion was obvious. "Does that mean you're going to pay me in ramen or something?"

Hiruzen chuckled at the boy's assumption. "While ramen is one example I was thinking more along the lines of this." He held out two small scrolls to the young genin. Naruto accepted the gift and cracked one open. "These are techniques that I believe someone with your…unique situation would find most useful. I even put some notes and all the information I could find on them in those scrolls. Consider them a reward for doing your village a service."

Naruto looked at the first scroll.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu?"

XXXXXXX

The classroom was abuzz with talking as the newest academy graduates waited to learn what teams they would be on and who they would be assigned as their Jounin-sensei. Naruto was sitting next to Sasuke a confident smirk planted on the blonds face.

He had managed to pass the academy, and complete his first mission as a shinobi, he couldn't be happier. He also had a very productive morning, he had taken his ninja registration photo. Sadly he was so exhausted from the previous night's events that he woke up late and didn't have time to prepare the kick-ass war paint he had saved up for his photo. He had simply taken the photo with his goggles, down to appear mysterious.

He also had a run in with the Hokage's grandson. The boy had been annoying but at the end of the entire thing he managed to defeat an elite Jounin of the village with his ultimate Harem no jutsu.

So overall today was shaping up to be another great day.

He was tempted to brag to Sasuke about his mission last night. But he knew the Uchiha would be jealous, and it wouldn't be good to start talking about top secret village secrets. He needed to start acting a bit more like a ninja.

"What's that smile for?" Asked Sasuke, breaking Naruto out of his thoughts. Naruto raised an eyebrow at his friend.

"What smile?"

"The one you're trying to hide right now, whenever you smile like that it's never a good thing." Sasuke said, as he turned a stern gaze onto the blond. Both boys were interrupted by someone approaching.

"Everyone saw it I got here first!" Ino declared as she attempted to sit next to Sasuke. Sasuke cursed the fact he sat in the middle of the row, if he was on the edge Naruto could have blocked these harpies.

"Those pupil-less eyes of your must have made you blind because clearly I got here first!" A girl declared as she pushed Ino out of the way. The two began to scuffle with one another and soon numerous girls were all engaged in a melee to see who would be able to sit next to Sasuke. The sight made Sasuke sigh.

"You might find it annoying but every guy in this classroom wishes they had your luck." Muttered Naruto as he glared at his rival. "Some of the guys even think you might be gay since you don't date at least one." Sasuke immediately elbowed his friend in the ribs. Naruto winced but still chuckled.

"I'm just saying, you want to revive your clan which means you are going to have to get busy with someone later and pop out a bunch of babies. You might even have to get multiple wives in order to fully restore your clan and-" Naruto was cut off by an even harder elbow to the ribs.

Sasuke leveled a light glare at his rival. "If I'm not mistaken you also want to revive your clan, does that mean you intend to do those things?" He asked. Naruto paled considerably. "Are you going to find yourself a bunch of wives and have them pop out a bunch of blond haired baby Naruto's?"

"Let's just stop talking about this…"

"Agreed."

Eventually Iruka appeared and got everyone settled down. After a fairly typical motivational speech he finally began to assign teams. It wasn't very interesting until he reached team 7.

"Alright Team 7." Iruka began. "Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke."

"YES!" cheered Sakura upon hearing the news. "This is destiny, take that Ino-pig!"

Naruto held up his fist to Sasuke for a fist-bump but the Uchiha simply glared at the blond.

"I've told you a million times, I don't do fist-bumps." Sasuke muttered to his blond teammate. Naruto simply kept holding up his fist.

"Come on Sasuke, we are on a team together. If you leave me hanging now it'll ruin team dynamics." Naruto said as he held his fist up to the other boys face. Finally in order to get Naruto to stop Sasuke quickly bumped fists with the blond.

"Yeah this is going to be awesome!" declared Naruto happily. "Today is the day that I begin my journey to become Hokage!"

XXXXXXX

While the students were waiting for their Jounin instructors the Hokage and Kakashi were having a private meeting in the Hokage's office.

Currently Kakashi was looking through the profiles of each of his new students that the Hokage had given him. The information he found was rather surprising.

Sasuke was of course Rookie of the year and had aced every aspect of shinobi training. The report was full of glowing reviews from all of his academy instructors and numerous mentions of his obvious potential.

As far as Kakashi was concerned those reviews were useless, the only one he cared about was Iruka's personal notes. Iruka pointed out that the boy had obvious talent but his attitude and lack of social skills would make it difficult for him to function undercover out in the field. He wouldn't be able to get information subtly through charisma or seduction. The report did mention that the boy had gotten better since befriending Naruto, showing that he wasn't completely hopeless socially.

Kakashi turned to Naruto's file and found it to be much like Sasuke's in that it was unreliable. Naruto's file was full of complaints, red marks, and saturated with hatred for the boy. They pointed out his obnoxious attitude, terrible lack of subtly, and his lack of academic skills.

Once again Kakashi had to turn to Iruka's notes to get the true story. As it turns out Naruto was doing well for a shinobi. His academics were kept just above failing. However Kakashi did notice that the boy did well in shinobi history. Iruka pointed out that his taijutsu was below average, but the boy's freakish stamina, reflexes, and strength made up for his lack of skill. His ninjutsu was above average, on par with the children from a clan background. His target practice and shurikenjutsu was also above average. However his genjutsu was below average, Naruto seemed unable to perform genjutsu but was apparently able to easily break out of them.

Kakashi didn't even bother with the overall academy file for Sakura, he skipped directly to Iruka's notes. Sakura was apparently a very gifted kunoichi, she was a top scorer in class and had a bright mind. However she had an obsession with Uchiha Sasuke that might get in the way of her development, Iruka noted that an obsession with Sasuke was fairly common for girls in her class.

That last part made Kakashi sigh, but when he kept on reading he was in for a surprise. About a year ago the girl began to take her shinobi training much more seriously, and gave up on trends the other girls were following, like diets. Apparently during the last parent teacher conference Iruka had asked Sakura's parents about the girls change in attitude and found out that one day, out of the blue she had asked her parents to arrange extra lessons for her.

Kakashi was satisfied with the information and closed the files. He looked up to the Hokage who was looking at the masked man with an expectant look.

"What do you think?" Asked the Third, as he took a drag from his wooden pipe. "I think this new team will finally be the one to break your failing streak."

"I admit they have a good amount of potential, but their teamwork is all I care about." Kakashi said as he handed the file back to the Hokage. "In fact I'm curious as to how they ended up as a team, their skills are all good overall. What's the purpose of this team exactly?"

"Frontline combat." Answered Hiruzen. "They all have potential for it, which is extremely good since all other graduating students are either, tracking, reconnaissance, or types that have no real skills one way or another."

Kakashi understood the older man's point. Naruto and Sasuke were both frontline fighters, and with proper instruction Sakura could be as well. He still needed to see their skills for themselves.

"Alright Ill swing by the academy in three hours and get introductions out of the way." Kakashi got up from his seat and bowed respectfully to the Hokage.

"Going to make your students wait for you again eh?"

"Always."

XXXXXXX

Haruno Sakura was on cloud nine. She was now a genin and she was assigned to the perfect team.

The only problem was that their sensei was late. Everyone had left with their teachers, leaving the three genin alone together. But that suited Sakura just fine. It meant more time with Sasuke.

It had to be some form of destiny that made her end up on the same team with Sasuke-kun. The following months would be a key part in her life, they would be filled with moments that would define their future relationship, moments that would someday be stories that they would tell their future children.

She tried her best to act cool.

She wanted to run up to him, declare her love and ask him for a date. But she knew that wasn't the way to attract him. She looked up at the boy in question and saw him talking to Naruto as the blond rambled to him about sealing theory.

It was a surprise to everyone in class when the handsome and dark Uchiha Sasuke befriended Naruto. The two were complete opposites, Sasuke was cool and collected while Naruto wore orange and yelled about becoming Hokage.

Although she did have to admit he looked good in his new outfit.

After so many rejections she decided to approach Naruto one day and ask him what it was Sasuke looked for in a woman. The boy was Sasuke's only friend so he had to know.

The answer she received shocked her.

"_Ne Sakura, Sasuke really doesn't care about looks all that much."_ He had said to her._ "All he wants is a strong kunoichi who can give him a large family to help him rebuild his clan. He wants a woman who can protect his children from enemy shinobi that might try to steal their sharingan."_

That answered had surprised Sakura, it had also set her down the path to becoming a better kunoichi. If Sasuke found strength sexy she would become the strongest female ninja since Tsunade. She started training with her parents, they were retired but still knew enough about the shinobi arts. She had also given up on dieting, she needed to build up muscle. She still ate healthy meals but she made sure they were more balanced.

She still tried to do her hair and makeup, being attractive couldn't hurt her odds. But now that she knew what Sasuke wanted in a woman she had an advantage over everyone else her age. So she casually walked up to her two teammates in hopes of casually integrating herself into their conversation.

"So then I discovered that by applying another layer to the traditional explosive tag you turn it into an explosive storage scroll. This allowed me to replace the traditional fiery explosion with an explosion of paint. That let me paint the Hokage monument from a distance and in record time." Naruto proclaimed proudly.

"It'll never ceases to amaze me how you can turn the art of sealing into a tool used for the most mundane and childish of your pranks." Was Sasuke's simple answer. Before Naruto could respond he noticed Sakura approaching them.

"Hey Sakura-chan!" greeted Naruto happily.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, acknowledging her presence.

Sakura tried to hide her blush and act confident. "Ne, do you guys want some lunch? I brought enough for everyone." She opened up her bag and revealed a large bento box full of onigiri , sashimi, and various other goodies she had packed. She had all of Sasuke's favorite foods in it along with a few she was sure Naruto would probably like. "It looks like our sensei is going to be late so we might as well eat lunch together to kill some time."

Naruto nodded vigorously and helped Sakura set up a place for them to eat. Sasuke gave no verbal acknowledgement but joined the two of them regardless. They chose to set up some chairs around Iruka's now empty desk and use it as their dining table. Sakura set up her large bento, and soon all three of them were eating together.

It was like a dream for Sakura, while she would have preferred to be alone with Sasuke, Naruto wasn't the worst company. Besides it was good that Sasuke had friends, it showed that he had a soft heart under that gruff exterior.

Naruto could even be the Godfather of their future children.

Conversation was simple and pleasant. The three of them speculated about what their Jounin-sensei would be like, what type of missions they would go on, and what they were expecting to learn.

When Kakashi arrived he expected to be yelled at for being late or for the genin to pull a prank on him. Instead he found his team sitting around the teacher's desk talking to one another. He had to stop for a moment before making his presence known.

He could tell from the academy profiles this team had similar personalities and makeup to his previous team, but seeing them up close really nailed the point home. If Sasuke had a face mask and white hair he would be a dead ringer for a younger version of himself. Sakura's mannerisms and looks were like Rin's, and Naruto…

If Kakashi didn't know any better he would assume Naruto was tormenting him, his black and orange outfit was the same color as the outfit Obito used to wear, and the goggles made him think he was looking at his dead friend. Upon closer inspection the outfit was different, his hair was blond, and the goggles while the same color had two lenses while Obito had used one giant fishbowl lens on his goggles.

"So when he asked me about my new Jutsu I decided to show him. I changed my form into that of a beautiful naked woman, and the Hokage goes flying backwards with blood shooting out of his nose!" finished Naruto as he wrapped up his story.

Sasuke simply gave a grunt in reply but had a small smirk on his face, while Sakura had a horrified expression.

"The strongest shinobi in our village was defeated by a perverted Jutsu?" she asked, not quite believing what she was hearing. "Our village's strongest ninja is a dirty old man…"

The three were broken out of their conversation when they saw their Jounin-sensei finally enter the room.

"My first impression of you guys is...good." Kakashi offered, as he looked at the three genin.

"Meet me up on the roof so we can get introductions out of the way." The second he said those words he disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving behind three stunned genin.

XXXXXXX

"Alright tell me your likes, dislikes, and your dreams for the future and anything else you might want to say." Kakashi said as he leaned back on the guard rail of the academy roof.

"Shouldn't you introduce yourself first sensei?" Sakura offered, she wanted to know more about this scarecrow looking man before she started telling him personal information.

Seeing the other two genin agree Kakashi decided to humor the girl.

"My name is Hatake Kakashi. I have no desire to tell you my likes and dislikes. Dreams for the future." Kakashi simply paused before moving on. "And I have many hobbies."

Before the three kids could protest his extremely short and non-informative introduction he pointed to Naruto. "You're up goggles, introduce yourself." Ignoring the nickname Naruto stood up straight before answering.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like ramen, training, and spending time with my friends."

"**All two of them."** Muttered Kurama.

'_Shut up Kurama, you're ruining my moment!'_

Kakashi didn't miss the brief pause in Naruto's speech, the movement of his eyes, or the annoyed expression upon his face. It lasted for only half a second, but his skilled eyes caught it. It was obvious the boy was talking to someone, and that someone had to be the Kyuubi. The Hokage had told him earlier that the boy knew about his burden and lineage.

That would make things much more interesting.

Naruto continued as if nothing had happened. "I dislike judgmental people, and the time it takes to cook ramen. My dreams for the future is to restore my clan, become Hokage, and to make everyone in this village acknowledge me!" He declared proudly. "Also to invent a cup of ramen that cooks itself."

'_He's grown in an interesting way.'_ Kakashi thought to himself. He pointed to Sasuke next. "Alright, you next."

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke began, he was trying to find the right words to say. "I like training, sparring with someone as strong as I am, and spending time with people whose company I find tolerable." He ignored the slight glare from Naruto and continued. "I dislike many things, and my dream for the future is to restore my clan to what it once was and to bring back the Konoha military police force. I also have an ambition to avenge my clan by killing a certain man."

'_Not as dark as I thought but he still needs help.'_ Thought Kakashi as he looked into the eyes of the avenger. He pointed to Sakura. "And lastly the girl."

Sakura tore her gaze away from Sasuke and perked up. "My name is Haruno Sakura." She began, trying to hide her excitement. "I like spending time with my parents, and spending time with interesting men." She gazed at Sasuke but quickly returned to her introduction. "My dream for the future is to become a strong Kunoichi of Konoha like my mother and to find and marry a strong man who will give me the large family I've always wanted." She hoped that would have attracted Sasuke's attention but the raven haired boy stared ahead as if she had said nothing.

'_I can work with that.'_ Kakashi thought, but something was bugging him. "I read your file, I thought both your parents were civilians?"

"They technically are right now, my dad works at the power plant and my mother's a nurse. But before that they were shinobi of this village." She answered proudly. "My father's name is Kizashi and my mother's name is Mebuki. My father was wounded in the third shinobi war and couldn't continue his career, my mother also retired to raise me. But she still works at the hospital as an unofficial medic-nin."

That was interesting, he actually knew those two. They could be worse than Gai at times. Thankfully their daughter seemed much more calm…come to think of it neither of Sakura's parents have pink hair. How the heck did their daughter end up with such pink hair?

Shaking those thoughts from his head he decided to continue.

"That's enough for introductions." Kakashi began. "Now we start your duties as shinobi.

He went on to explain his survival training test, and how they weren't technically official genin until he approved of them, and how the test had a 66percent fail rate. With each bit of explanation he saw their faces turn more and more horrified.

It warmed his heart.

"The details are on this paper." He handed them each a paper. "Also don't eat breakfast, you'll throw up." With his explanation finished he disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving behind three shocked genin.

"We need a strategy." Sasuke said as he sternly gazed at his teammates. "I refuse to be sent back to the academy, we need a plan if we intend to beat him."

Both Sakura and Naruto nodded.

"Let's go to my place, we can form a plan there." Offered Naruto. "We can figure out how best to work together in order to beat the crap out of this guy."

Both his teammates agreed and they jumped off the academy roof in the direction of Naruto's house. Unknown to them Kakashi was hidden behind the academy stairwell and listened to every word.

"You three might just have a chance…"

XXXXXXX

"Wow, you have a lovely home Naruto." Sakura offered as she took off her sandals and entered the Uzumaki estate.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Thanks, this is my first time having a girl over. I hope the house isn't too messy."

The house was actually pristine, Naruto did everything he could to keep it clean. He wanted the legacy of his ancestors to be kept in as good condition as possible.

After giving Sakura a brief tour of the house the three gathered around Naruto's dining room table and the blond unsealed several scrolls on it. Numerous weapons, tools, and other ninja accessories spread out on the table.

"We need to figure out what equipment we are bringing, and how to use our abilities to best work together." Naruto explained. "I am not being sent back to the academy."

The three of them got to work and spent hours devising strategies, showing off their abilities and eventually packing up their bags. Sakura demonstrated how she learned a few medical techniques from her mother, which would come in handy if either of them were wounded. They spent so long planning they decided to eat dinner together. A simple meal of Chicken Katsu, steamed rice, and mixed vegetables was shared between the three before they got back to planning.

By the time night fell they had their bags packed and a decent strategy for what they were going to do on the test the next day.

XXXXXXX

The next day all three met up at the place Kakashi had ordered them to meet at. Immediately they going over their basic plans for the day.

All three had eaten a big meal the previous night, but to make sure they would have energy they ate a few easily digestible ration bars. By the time the test started the bars would be settled in their stomachs.

Sasuke pulled out a small pouch. "These are special military ration pills. They replenish one's chakra and nourish the body. It is made up of powerful stimulants and nutrients, said to allow the user to keep fighting for three days and three nights without rest. They were standard issue for Shinobi during war. Now that I have a forehead protector I was able to purchase some."

Each of them swallowed a pill and felt the results immediately. Their chakra reserves felt strong and so did their bodies.

However they had to wait for a long time. Three hours to be precise. All three of them were frustrated but they were glad to have the time to digest their food and prepare. Eventually Kakashi appeared in front of them.

"Good morning everyone" Kakashi greeted pleasantly.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto and Sakura screamed, Sasuke simply gave Kakashi the strongest glare he could muster.

After a brief introduction Kakashi began to explain his test.

He set up a clock on a stump. "Okay, its set for noon." He took two bells from his jacket. "Your job is to get these two bells from me, those who don't won't get lunch." He saw the looks on their faces and decided to continue. "There are only two bells, those who get the bells with pass the test. The one who doesn't will get set back to the academy."

All three of them felt their carefully organized plans from the night before fall apart.

"Be sure to use shuriken's and kunai, if you don't come at me with the intent to kill none of you will succeed."

They all nodded.

"Begin!" The three Genin disappeared from the open field and hid in the forest.

The three teammates found themselves huddled together in a heavily forested area, they could see their sensei standing the middle of the field reading an orange book.

"All our plans are over, only two of us can pass!" Sakura was pacing back and forth panicking. "He can't do this, he can't, he can't!"

"You're right Sakura, he can't." Sasuke spoke up, drawing his teammate's attention. "Iruka-sensei specified that teams are selected for specific roles, scouting, infiltrating, tracking, and fighting. If you take a single member from that team the dynamic is ruined."

Naruto was also confused about that as well. "Listen guys, we won't accomplish anything by sitting here we need info on this guy." He pointed towards Kakashi. "I'm going to use my bunshin's to keep him occupied, you guys watch the fight and see if he has any weak points."

It was a good plan so Sasuke and Sakura waited in the bushes while Naruto ran out to face Kakashi.

'_They hid themselves well, and they all hid together. They might actually be able to pass.'_ Kakashi thought as he read his little book. Right when he was getting to the good juicy part Naruto appeared in front of him, alone. _'On second thought maybe they won't figure it out.'_

"You think you're tough do ya!?" Naruto asked, putting on his bravest show possible. "Well you're the ones who's going to get schooled!" Naruto formed a ram seal.

"Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique )!"

The clearing was filled with a hundred Naruto clones. Kakashi's single eyes widened a little but otherwise he showed no outward surprise. '_Who taught him that?'_ He wondered as he prepared himself.

"It's cute, believing numbers will help. But zero multiplied by a hundred is still zero."." He teased in an attempt to agitate the blond.

All the clones suddenly charged him. What happened next could only be described as slaughter.

"Lesson one, Taijutsu."

Without even looking up from his book he began slaughtering the shadow clones as they came. He absent-mindedly blocked one of their blows and punched out another one. He used both his legs to deliver a series of kicks that took out numerous clones.

Unknown to him the blond was simply prodding his defense. Eventually the real Naruto noticed something, one of his clones came close to the man and saw a bit of information that was important before being destroyed.

After a little while Kakashi was sure he found the real one, a Naruto that was hanging back in the fight and analyzing things. He decided to use his best move on him.

He appeared behind the blond and prepared his attack.

"Hidden Leaf Secret Technique: One thousand Years of Death!" Kakashi yelled as he poked both his fingers into Naruto's rear. The boy screamed, showing it was the real one and he was sent through the air.

"**I'm embarrassed to even be sealed within you."** Said Kurama as he watched his containers actions.

All of the Shadow clones went to their creator's aid and helped him up and he recovered from the attack. Naruto felt a blush appear on his cheeks, he knew Sasuke and Sakura were probably laughing their asses off right now.

Seeing that the fight was going nowhere he ordered the ten clones that remained to leap back. Kakashi couldn't help but smile at the blonde's ability to identify a lost cause. However that smile faded when he saw all the Naruto's flashing through hand seals.

"Futon: Renkudan (Wind Release: Drilling Air bullet)!"

All ten Naruto's expelled a highly compressed air ball from their mouths. The attack kicked up dust, and destroyed a small amount of forest that was behind Kakashi. When the dust cleared it revealed that Kakashi was no longer standing in the way of the attack, all that was left was a log laying on the ground, shredded to pieces. Kakashi jumped back down into the clearing from a nearby tree.

"Offensive ninjutsu can be good but you lack proper discipline and control."

Naruto pulled out several kunai with seals drawn on the blades and threw them at Kakashi.

Kakashi was going to simply block those kunai with his own, but when they came close he saw the seals etched onto the blades. _'Clever, explosive notes can be easily seen, so he painted the seals on the blades themselves.'_ He decided to simply dodge them but they exploded prematurely. But rather than a fiery explosion a purple mist of poison came out of them and coated the area where he was standing. Luckily his mask was able to filter out basic poisons.

"Kunai with a sealed knockout poison in it instead of an explosion. My latest creation." explained Naruto proudly as he watched his work in action.

When the mist cleared all that remained in the clearing was a hole in the ground.

Before Naruto or his clones could react every single Naruto found themselves dragged down by their feet into the dirt. Kakashi climbed up out of the ground. Several clones of Kakashi came out of the ground and fell apart into pieces of earth revealing they were earth clones.

"Not bad, but poison, even ones intended to disable can be tricky." Kakashi explained happily as he looked down at the Naruto's who were trapped.

"You wanna see something dangerous?" One of the Naruto's asked and evil glint in his eyes.

"Bunshin Daibakuna (Great Clone Explosion)!" They all chorused together.

Kakashi had just enough warning to jump away before all ten Naruto's exploded, kicking up dirt and showering debris all over the field.

"I see…so the real one wasn't there." Kakashi muttered. "Very strong for a Genin, but it takes more than strength to impress me."

Sasuke and Sakura had watched the entire exchange. Sakura was shocked by Naruto's ability while Sasuke already knew his rival's capabilities.

The real Naruto appeared next to them with a smile on his face, surprising the both of them.

"Did you guys catch any useful information while I was fighting him?" The blond asked as he nursed his sore rear.

"You mean aside from watching you get sexually violated?" Sasuke asked. Naruto glared at the avenger while Sakura was trying to hold back massive amounts of laughter.

"Don't say things like that, I put my ass on the line out there!"

"Literally." Sasuke added. Which made Naruto foam at the mouth with rage, and caused Sakura to lose her composure and laugh.

After a few seconds Sakura managed to regain her composure enough to speak. "We think we figured out the test." Sakura began. "We think this entire two bell thing is meant to tear us apart. He's trying to see if we put ourselves before the team."

After a few seconds of thinking it over the explanation made sense. He had used almost every trick he had and the Jounin didn't even break a sweat. All three of them working together was the only way they could hope to win.

"Well that's great, because I have a plan that will show him our teamwork and dedication."

That peaked Sasuke and Sakura's interest. The three of them huddled together and plotted against their silver haired sensei. Once Naruto explained his plan they knew they could defeat the Jounin.

All they had to do was change the rules of the game.

XXXXXXX

Kakashi was disappointed, so far the only person to attempt to take a bell was Naruto. At this rate they would fail from pure laziness, which was rather funny considering how people often accused him of being lazy. Before he could think on that point further all three of them ran out of the forest and charged at him.

_'Did they figure it out?' _He wondered as he put his book away and assumed a combat stance. All three genin attack him simultaneously. He focused his defense on his right side, where the bells were located. He allowed the children to herd him into a corner, otherwise it would be unfair. He had to give them a chance after all.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu ( Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)!"

Sasuke shot a giant fireball at Kakashi forcing the man to dodge. Right when that happened Sakura appeared and attempted to grab the bells. Her fingers slightly brushed them but Kakashi managed to avoid her.

'_That's a first.'_ He thought. _'No one's ever come that close.'_

Once again the three of them engaged in combat. He had to admit they were working together well. Naruto used wild strikes that kept him on his toes since they were difficult to predict, Sasuke's refined Taijutsu kept him engaged and forced him to use some advanced maneuvers, and Sakura used her natural grace to make attempts at grabbing the bells.

He blocked a spinning kick from Sasuke, he had to actively attack Naruto and several clones he created, and had to actively move out of the way of Sakura's attacks, the girls hands were glowing with medical chakra, it appears she got a few lessons from her mother.

_'Chakra scalpels eh? Powerful but difficult to control in combat, she must have perfect chakra control.'_

All three of them suddenly disengaged, he was curious why they would give up. They were very close to succeeding and time was almost up.

His question was answered when he saw Naruto was holding a very special book in his hands. Kakashi reached to his belt and found the book missing. He had been so focused on protecting the bells that he didn't even notice that little sticky fingered genin steal it.

"Now Sensei, you are going to pass all three of us or I destroy this book." Naruto said as he held the book in his hands. Kakashi didn't show any sign of being intimidated.

"Do you honestly think I would pass all of you because of a book?" He asked, hiding his true feelings. "I can just buy another one at the book store."

Naruto simply smiled. "True but when I was fighting you I noticed that this is a limited collector's edition and it's even autographed. It says 'To my Number one fan Kakashi' signed by the great Jiraiya-sama."

Kakashi's eye narrowed. "Naruto I'm a Jounin of Konoha, if I wanted to I could kill all three of you before you could take a breath. What makes you think you can stop me from getting my book back?" Kakashi released a massive amount of killing intent to scare the blond.

Naruto didn't even flinch, he got worse killer intent from Kurama on a good day. "True, but even you can't hunt down all of me." He quickly formed a ram seal and suddenly two hundred Naruto's appeared in the clearing, each one holding a book.

"If you think you can take on the great Uzumaki Naruto. Come and get me." All the clones chorused before they all ran in random directions.

Kakashi formed the ram seal and created four shadow clones of himself. The five Kakashi's chased after the two hundred Naruto's.

Sasuke and Sakura watched as the Kakashi clones hunted down each and every single Naruto clone. It was absolute chaos with clones exploding everywhere and Naruto clones being brutally killed by Kakashi clones.

"Think we should help him?" Sakura asked, turning to her crush.

The boy shook his head.

"No, it looks like he has this covered."

After twenty minutes the real Kakashi was dragging the real Naruto into the training field and dropped him in front of his teammates.

"Alright Naruto, where is the book?" asked Kakashi as he held Naruto up by his legs and began shaking him. Numerous, Shuriken, kunai, and scrolls fell out of the blonds various pockets but the book didn't fall out. "I swear if you push this I'll be forced to strip you."

"Ha! I hid the book somewhere in this forest, if you want me to reveal its location you'll have to pass all three of us!" Naruto claimed while laughing.

Kakashi was upset but at the same time he had to hide a smile. He let Naruto down, who promptly walked over to Sasuke and Sakura.

"Did you all figure out the meaning of this test?"

Sakura stepped forward. "We figured that it had to do with teamwork, and that the bells were meant to drive us apart." She explained. "But we didn't want to risk being wrong so we thought of a plan that would force your hand."

The Jounin had to sit back for a second and admire his new team. After all these years a group of kids figured it out.

"All three of you pass!" Kakashi declared happily. Sakura let out a happy squeal, Naruto cheered, and Sasuke had a tiny smile on his face.

"You figured out the most important lesson a shinobi can have. Those who break the rules and codes of the ninja world are trash…but those who don't trust and take care for their comrades are lower than trash." Kakashi explained. "You put each other before your individual self-interest and cooperated. You are the first team to ever understand the value of working together."

He held out his hand

"Now can I have my book back?"

Much to his surprise Sakura opened one of her belt pouches and revealed that she had the book the whole time.

"When you were chasing all my clones I gave the book to Sakura-chan, I figured the best way to hide it would be in plain sight." Naruto admitted proudly.

"Wonderful idea, and a great job all around." Kakashi opened up his pouch and pulled out some ninja wire. "We start training and missions tomorrow but since you all performed so well today I've decided to give you an early training session."

Team 7 leaned forward together with barely contained excitement, wondering what they would learn.

Thirty seconds later all three of them were tied to a log.

"Today you will be learning how to escape once you've been tied up, the lesson will end whenever you three manage to get out." Kakashi opened up his book and began to walk away. Naruto was the first to speak up.

"Hey! This is just some kind of strange punishment for taking your book isn't it!?" He accused angrily. Kakashi simply waved back at them.

"Nonsense, this is training. I recommend hurrying. It looks like it might rain tonight." With that said Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving his team to fend for themselves.

"Great plan dobe." Sasuke muttered as he tried to wriggle out. "This is high quality ninja wire…"

Sakura tried to move her hands but they were tied up as well. "If I don't get home on time my parents will freak out."

Naruto stretched his right leg and managed to maneuver his right foot onto Sasuke's lap. "I have a nail file hidden in my sandal, see if you can get it."

Through careful maneuvering Sasuke managed to get the file out of Naruto's sandal and slowly began to cut the wire. Unfortunately the file was small and the ninja wire was strong.

"This could take a while…" Sasuke muttered as he slowly tried to whittle down the wire.

Sakura suddenly felt her stomach lurch.

"Umm guys…I kind of have to use the bathroom."

XXXXXXX

**Author's note- Long one this week kids.**

16,328 words before the AN. That's a new record for me, so yay for longer chapters.

Some of you might point out that Kage Mane wouldn't work at night, but moonlight does cause a shadow. I used to think Mizuki was working on his own, he saw an opportunity and took it, but it turns out in the anime he works for Orochimaru and has a curse seal or something….I don't get it.

I took a lot of creative liberties with this one. Some of you might like them, some of you might hate them. But I have to write the story that I want so hopefully this one didn't turn you away.I changed the way Naruto dresses but I think I kept in enough orange. Also fun fact, Naruto was always supposed to have goggles in the manga but Kishimoto found them annoying to draw so he made Naruto stop wearing them. After editing I realize I wrote a lot of eating scenes. That's probably because I'm on a diet so Im making my characters eat what I wish I could.

Sasuke and Sakura will be stronger, I just didn't get a chance to show it this chapter. Naruto has become stronger but his inability to use Jutsu to their full potential has stalled him greatly. Many of you wanted a different team but I have my reasons for sticking with the vanilla team. I promise the dynamics won't be the same and missions will be very different. No point in writing a story if I'm just going to follow the manga word for word.

Also to all of you asking if this will be Naruhina, the answer is no. I like Naruhina well enough, but there's a million out there. I want to do something different. The only way Hinata would be with Naruto is if I wrote a harem, which I admit is tempting but realistic and believable harems are as rare as unicorns and I'm not sure I could write one convincingly.

So while its tempting at this point there will be no harem.

Timeskips- There were a lot but to be honest I didn't want to spend four chapters outlining every little thing Naruto did over his training in the academy. I want the story to move along at a decent pace, I don't want it to take six chapters to get Naruto out of the village.

Characters- Took a lot of liberty here. Especially with Sakura. I love Kishimoto but he tends to write girls…poorly. I think if she believed strength would make Sasuke like her she would train intensely. She didn't have much to do this chapter but that will change soon. I mostly made her the brains of the team, being the one to figure things out. Most people write Sakura's parents as civilians, but in the anime they are shinobi. So I compromised and made them retired shinobi with civilian jobs.

Sasuke also changed but I think I made it somewhat believable. He was so cheerful when he was a child, I like to think Naruto can bring that out in him. Also after watching a bit of the anime I discovered he lives in a apartment, I guess the Uchiha district was abandoned by him or reclaimed by the village. Had to rewrite some stuff after I learned that.

Technology- Many writers make the Naruto universe more primitive then it actually is. I understand this but there is a lot of technology in the world as shown in the manga and movies. There won't be guns or anything really modern in my story but movies exist. I suppose it's about Legend of Korra level of technology minus the mechanized suits/mech.

Next chapter might take a while, I start school again soon, add that to my job means I won't have as much free time. This chapter almost didn't get published. Yesterday was my birthday and I had this realization that I was writing Naruto fanfiction on my birthday and I'm single. Luckily 2 hours into crying I numbed myself to the pain and finished editing.

That was a joke…kinda.

With that absurdly long AN out of the way I'd like to thank everyone who's been reading and reviewing. I know this story is just one amongst 300k stories in this section but you all make it feel special, and that keeps me writing.

So thank you for reading, and please review.


	4. Training and Demons

**Chapter 4**

**Training and Demons  
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**Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto or any properties associated with Naruto**

XXXXXXX

Kakashi watched his three students as they ate lunch on a small bench next to their training ground. The three of them had just finished their morning training and were getting a much needed rest. The first month of training and missions had been hell for him. Not because the training was hard or because the missions were hard. It's because his genin kept demanding harder training and harder missions.

Kakashi could understand hating D-rank missions, he had hated them with a passion when he had first become a genin. But they were fundamental for building teamwork, helping the community, and gaining basic skills. Knowing how to tend a garden, peel vegetables, work at a restaurant, and the various other mundane tasks that D-rank missions had, were excellent skills that a shinobi could use when undercover. He had once posed as a farmer for two weeks in order to assassinate a crime lord who was stealing money from farmers in northern fire country.

It wasn't just the D-rank missions that had his students angry, it was his training. In truth fresh genin were to be trained in the bare basics. Things like stealth, trap setting, target practice, hunting, foraging, and how to set up a proper camp and other fundamentals to shinobi training. He trained them in all of these things, he knew fundamentals were important and didn't want to push them too hard.

But his students wanted more, they demanded he train them more and made no secret of their frustration with him. They also made no secret of it to others either, Sasuke and Naruto would openly complain about his laid back training style to anyone who would listen and even Sakura complained to her parents.

He grew tired of their complaining, so for an entire two weeks he put them through hell. He created a training regime that would make Gai blush. He had the three of them running laps, lifting weights, practicing taijutsu katas, and even doing chakra control exercises. He was surprised to see Sasuke and Naruto already knew the fundamental chakra control exercises. Sakura easily picked them up and once she did, he had his students running laps around a lake for hours until their chakra stores were drained completely. By the end of the day they were draining in both physical and spiritual energy. He was sure they would beg him to ease up and go back to how he trained them before.

He was wrong.

They took the training and didn't utter a single complaint. After two weeks of his hellish training they began to ask for more training. He could understand Naruto and Sasuke wanting more training but even Sakura was taking it seriously. He was expected his pink haired student to be complaining the most but she was intent on proving herself a capable kunoichi.

After showing such spirit and dedication he decided to reward them.

So today he would begin to teach them ninjutsu. Usually Jounin were instructed to wait at least three months before teaching ninjutsu. But he felt his students had more than proven themselves. So he walked up to them once they had finished their lunch and pulled out a bunch of cards. Specifically they were cards that would reveal a person's primary chakra nature.

"Gather round kids, it's time we took your training to the next level." Kakashi said, drawing his student's attention. The three were sitting at their lunch bench drinking water, their gaze's focused on the cards Kakashi had in his hand. "This is a special card used to determine a person's primary chakra nature. This will show what direction your individual ninjutsu training will go and what techniques to focus on."

Sasuke was first, Kakashi handed him the card and had him channel chakra into it. The paper wrinkled up into a wad, causing the Uchiha to frown.

"Lightning nature." Kakashi intoned.

"Are you sure this is right? I've been using fire techniques this entire time and my clan is fire natured." Sasuke pointed out as he stared at the wrinkled up paper accusingly. Kakashi waved off the boys concerns.

"The paper never lies, it's rare but you can inherit a different nature then the ones your parents have." Kakashi explained. "Also these cards just show what element you are aligned with. It's very possible to learn other elements, they just won't come as easily to you. If anything you should be glad for your constant training in fire techniques, it means you will have two elemental natures your familiar with."

"Is that common?" Sakura questioned, wanting to know more about chakra and elemental natures.

"Of course, I've mastered all the basic elements. By the time a person is Jounin they are expected to have at least mastered two. The Sandaime himself has mastered every single element and is heralded as an elemental master because of it."

Seeing that the three of them understood he continued with his lesson. Kakashi handed Naruto a piece of paper. The boy channeled his chakra into the paper and it split in half.

"Wind nature, a bit unexpected."

Naruto nodded. He had spent years learning his clan's signature water techniques, once he had learned enough of them he turned to a few wind ones and found they were easier to learn. He figured that was because he was simply getting better with ninjutsu but it seemed he had a predisposition towards it.

Lastly Kakashi handed a piece of paper to Sakura. The girl channeled her chakra into the paper and watched as it turned into dirt and crumbled away.

"And an Earth nature."

Kakashi stood up before his students and prepared his lesson.

"Remember that these elements are the ones you can learn the easiest, but they don't dictate what you can learn. I'm lightning natured but I've mastered over a thousand jutsu of various elements and can use them all proficiently." Seeing they understood he spent the next hour teaching them everything he knew about nature elements and techniques. He explained each elements strengths and weakness, as well as which one was strong against the other to ensure they knew when to use a specific type of technique.

Afterwards he decided to teach each of them a technique. He taught Sasuke a new lightning technique for offense. He showed Sakura an earth technique designed to bring up a defensive wall of rock, and he taught Naruto a wind armor technique.

He let them get to practicing and observed as they practiced the hand seals, chakra manipulation and form. He let them practice those techniques for the rest of the week, while maintaining a more moderate training regimen.

Living up to his reputation as rookie of the year and a genius Sasuke mastered the technique after two days. Sakura using her superb chakra control got hers down after five days. While Naruto took an entire week, which was still amazing considering the blonds massive chakra reserves. He basically used sheer determination and hard work to overcome his lack of natural talent.

Once all three had mastered their techniques he wanted them all to demonstrate them. So at the end of the week he had them line up on their training field to demonstrate.

"Sasuke, you're up." Kakashi said, gesturing to the training field.

Sasuke stepped forward and went through the hand seals. "Raiton: Ryurai no Jutsu (Lightning Release: Dragon Lightning Technique)!" Sasuke thrust his right hand forward and lighting coursed out of it taking the form of a dragon. The dragon shot forward and eventually crashed into the ground causing an explosion of lighting.

"Very good Sasuke." Kakashi complimented. "This is one of the few long ranged lighting techniques. Most lightning abilities are channeled from the body and close range, and are usually utilized in conjunction with taijutsu. Just keep that in mind." Seeing that Sasuke understood he gestured for Sakura to step forward.

Sakura went through the hand seals. "Doton: Doryuheki (Earth Release: Earth Style Wall)!" Sakura slammed her foot into the ground and a large wall of hardened rock sprung up in front of her, it was easily twelve feet high. Kakashi walked up and tapped the wall, checking its strength.

"Well done Sakura, very solid." Kakashi stated as he inspected its strength. "Earth jutsu are the best when it comes to sheer defensive power, but I'll be sure to teach you a few offensive ones as well." Sakura nodded and back away from her creation.

Kakashi turned to Naruto. "Alright goggles, do your stuff." He said happily, enjoying his little nickname for the blond.

Naruto walked up to the middle of the field. He went through the four hand seals required for the technique. "Futon: Uzu no Yoroi (Wind Release: Vortex Armor)!" He conjured an armor of shredding winds around himself which were spinning fast enough that the others could only see his black silhouette within the wind.

"Very good Naruto." Kakashi complimented. He decided to explain the technique in detail to make sure the blonde understood its dangerous nature. "This technique can be used either defensively or offensively. It offers an excellent deterrent to close quarters combat and other techniques. Namely projectiles, as the winds will tear and disrupt whatever gets close." To prove this point he threw a kunai at Naruto. The second the kunai came close to the blond it swerved off course and fell uselessly to the ground. "If you engage in taijutsu the winds will add shearing power to your strikes and shred your opponents if they get close to you."

Naruto canceled the technique and smiled. "Wow so this is unbeatable!" He declared happily.

"No it isn't." said Kakashi, interrupting the blond. "I will admit this technique is extremely good for you since you since you have enough chakra to keep it up for long periods of time without breaking a sweat. But remember that no technique is unbeatable. The technique will dispel if enough force is applied to disrupt the winds flow. Wind is also weak to fire, if Sasuke here were to use a fire jutsu on you the wind would fan the flames and create a fire vortex around you. Essentially cooking you alive in your own technique."

That made Naruto have a panicked look on his face. Kakashi decided to calm the blonde's fears. "Of course once you've mastered the technique you can control the wind enough to redirect the fire, or you could simply cancel the ability all together." Kakashi offered, which dispelled the blonds fear. "I just want you to remember the dangers of any ability. You don't want to become overconfident." He turned to Sasuke and Sakura. "That goes for you two as well, all techniques have weaknesses. There is no such thing as a perfect Jutsu."

With that lesson out of the way Kakashi decided to go easy for the rest of the day. He took his students out hunting and taught them how to skin animals and clean fish.

If they kept this up they would surpass his wildest expectations.

XXXXXXX

**1 month later**

Hiruzen Sarutobi loved this part of his job.

He was currently sitting at his desk in the mission's office of the Hokage tower. Here he would accept missions from various clients, hand out missions to various shinobi, and distribute payment for missions.

The reason he loved this part of his job was because his paperwork was minimal since there were numerous administrators dealing with the various aspects of this job. All he had to do was handout missions, which in itself was nice because he got to meet and speak to the various shinobi under his command. He especially loved the job now because he could watch as the next generation of young people began to grow into shinobi.

Currently it was six in the morning and they had just finished setting everything up when of all people Hatake Kakashi walked in to the office. Seeing the Jounin appear so early was startling, but what made it strange was the fact that his genin team wasn't with him.

"What bring you here so early Kakashi? We only just finished setting up." The Hokage explained as he sat down and lit his pipe.

Kakashi bowed respectfully before starting. "I know it's a bit unorthodox but I'd like to request a C-rank mission for my team Hokage-sama." He said as he took a seat across from the older man.

Sarutobi exhaled a large cloud of smoke before starting. "So early? Usually we don't allow C-ranks until a Jounin has had their genin for six months at least. That's usually the amount of time it takes to shape a genin into something capable of surviving live combat outside the village." He explained as he leaned back in his chair.

"I know it's a bit unusual to ask for one so early but the truth is that they are more than ready." Explained Kakashi, it had been a month since he began teaching them ninjustu and intensified their training. He knew they were ready. "Naruto and Sasuke have trained relentlessly for years to become shinobi. Sasuke is a genius and prodigy while Naruto is easily one of the hardest working shinobi I have ever seen. Both are determined to prove themselves. Even Sakura is well above what is expected of a genin. Her mother's been teaching her medical techniques and she has a good grasp on ninjutsu and genjutsu. All three of them are ready for something more."

The Hokage smiled a bit at that and opened up his files and looked through them for a C-rank mission. This early in the morning there wasn't much to choose from but he eventually found a C-rank.

"Here we go, we have one C-rank available, it just arrived by messenger hawk this morning. See if it's suitable for your team." He said as he handed the mission folder to Kakashi. The silver haired Jounin accepted the folder and skimmed it over.

"Hmmm this shouldn't be too hard. I'll take it. My kids need some experience and we just finished covering survival training." Kakashi explained, he got up and bid the Hokage goodbye.

He knew his students could easily handle this.

XXXXXXX

Kakashi found his team by their usual meeting place, a small bridge near the training grounds. His students had grown used to him being late and would often eat breakfast together and engage in training.

Today Sasuke and Sakura were fighting wave after wave of Naruto clones. Naruto was summoning numerous earth clones to help his friends practice their taijutsu. Earth clones were useful since they required less chakra then shadow clones and could take multiple hits before dispelling, making them ideal for taijutsu training.

Sasuke was practicing his clan's taijutsu style while Sakura was practicing using chakra scalpels as weapons. Kakashi was impressed at the girl's ability to use such a sensitive ability in combat, what she lacked in strength she made up for in skill and grace.

He waited until they eventually finished, once they were resting he appeared in front of them. They had long since gotten used to his lateness and didn't comment on it. Instead they simply gave him an annoyed look and awaited his instructions.

"Today I have gotten us a mission of great importance." Kakashi began in an overly dramatic voice. "Once we are finished we will be lauded as great heroes throughout all of fire country."

They weren't buying it.

"Let me guess we are going to be peeling vegetables for a restaurant?" Sasuke asked, expecting another crummy D-rank.

"Or maybe weeding a garden." Added Sakura in a bored tone.

"No, we're probably going to look for that stupid cat again." Finished Naruto with a slight edge to his voice. He was the one who always got scratched up on those missions.

Kakashi simply shook his head. "Well if you guys don't want the C-rank mission I picked up I guess I'll have to hand it over to another genin team…." That got their attention and immediately all three of his students stood up at attention.

"A C-rank? What is it Kakashi-sensei!?" Naruto asked with barely contained excitement. "Are we going to take out a criminal organization, or maybe protect a princess?"

Kakashi shook his head. "Nope we are going on an animal extermination mission." Seeing the confused looks of his genin he decided to elaborate. "A small village in a remote part of fire country has been complaining to the Fire Daimyo that they are being attacked by wild animals. The Daimyo thinks it's just simple townsfolk exaggerating but they are one of the largest producers of meat and produce for this region so we are being sent to investigate."

His team didn't seem pleased and Naruto was the first one to voice his annoyance. "So what are we going to be hunting down some stray animals? That doesn't sound like work for a ninja."

"Well it's causing the townspeople to panic but from what the Daimyo has said it is most likely a wolf pack or at worst a rabid bear. But it's still a C-rank so be happy that you get to leave the village for a bit and maybe see a bit of combat." Kakashi explained. "We will end training a bit early today so that you guys can pack up your things for an extended training mission. The journey is five days but at our speed it should only take three. I expect the mission itself could go on for about a week so if you have anything you need taken care of before this mission, do it today. "

His genin all nodded and went to their daily training. Mostly stretching, basic exercises, and taijutsu practice. He didn't want them exhausted, he needed them at full strength for tomorrow.

XXXXXXX

"You're on time!" Sakura and Naruto screeched when they saw Kakashi arrive at exactly six in the morning. Kakashi scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"I might be late often but I take missions pretty seriously." He explained, ignoring his teams glares. "Did you all pack up?"

His team opened their small backpacks and revealed that they were packed full of scrolls. It really did help to have Naruto and his sealing expertise around. "Very good, I also have extra supplies in case we run out. It should take three days travel, we will be using the tree climbing exercise to run through forests and water walking to run over rivers. This will cut down a five day journey to three but that doesn't mean we can slack off."

Seeing that his genin understood he decided to brief them. "We will be heading to Niseko Village, a small but prosperous part of fire country, it produces most of the food for Konoha and for the capitol city of Fire Country. So this is an important mission regardless of how trivial it might seem."

With that said the four of them ran through Konoha's gates and began their journey. They ran through forests, made camp at night, and had a rather uneventful journey.

XXXXXXX

Eventually they arrived at their destination. The village headman came out with several guards to greet his honored guests.

"This is all the Fire Daimyo sent!?" The village headman screamed angrily as he looked at the team of ninja before him. "Three kids and a single adult, we produce most of the food you people eat and this is how you protect us?"

Looking around Kakashi was worried. The village was a small one, no more than a thousand people would live here at most. In this remote part of fire country the population was thin, almost all of the land in the area was dedicated to farms. With the village acting as a market and shipping area.

But what worried him as the fact that the village was crammed to capacity with families and farmers who were obviously refugees. A rough wooden wall had been hastily erected around the entire village, something a community of this size shouldn't need. He also saw medical tents dedicated to treating the wounded and several carts distributing food to the needy.

"The Fire Daimyo gave us this mission explaining it was a simple job in animal extermination. We were expecting a wolf pack or maybe a few rabid bears." Kakashi explained. "But this looks more like a warzone, clearly the Daimyo underestimated the situation."

The village headman looked down sadly. "So that's how it is, he probably thinks us all bumpkins who are exaggerating. But the truth is we are attacked by monsters each and every day for the past two weeks. But recently the attacks have gotten truly bad and in the last four days we've lost five farmsteads. They came from the northern forest and encroach upon us. They devour our livestock and their very presence destroys our crops, almost every single farmer has fled to this place and we can barely take care of them people here." He explained.

"Ne Kakashi sensei, are there really monsters that can do that?" asked Sakura, she had never heard of any creature capable of such things or even read about one in all the books she read.

Kakashi shook his head. "No natural creature, it could be enemy shinobi using summons to attack our countries food supply. But I've never heard of a summon capable of killing crops just by being around them."

Naruto listened to the headman and his team discuss the situation until he felt the seal on his stomach tingle.

"**Something is coming from the north, a presence with strong killer intent."** Kurama said, alerting Naruto. **"I don't know what it is, but it is powerful." **

Naruto ran in front of his teacher breaking up the conversation with the village headman. "Kakashi sensei, something is coming at us from the north. Something powerful." He exclaimed.

"What is coming, and how do you know this?" Kakashi asked.

"I was informed by a reliable source." Naruto gestured to his stomach. Kakashi's eyes widened when he realized what the blond was saying. Before he could say anything a man on horseback rode up to the group.

"Sir, the northern farmsteads are being attacked." The man said, fear evident in his voice. The people around them began to panic in an attempt to find shelter. Kakashi turned to the headman.

"I'll take my team and help protect the farmstead, make sure everyone here is safe." He ordered. The headman nodded and went about organizing his people while Kakashi turned to his students.

"This is the real deal, from here on out you follow my orders do you understand me?" Kakashi's usual laid back voice was replaced with that of a battle commander. His students immediately stood at attention and nodded. "You must obey every command I give you without question or hesitation. If I tell you to hide you hide. If I tell you to run you will run. If I tell you to abandon me and save yourselves you must do so."

Seeing that they understood he led them north, the four of them ran out of the village gates and were sprinting across the flat farmlands. Most of this place was rice patties and grazing land for livestock so travel was easy. They could easily run over the plains or water walk over the irrigation networks.

After five minutes of running they made it to their destination. There was a collection of several large buildings next to some barns. The place was obviously a large homestead for a group of about a dozen people.

They saw smoke and heard screaming coming from it.

"Stay close to me." He ordered his students as they entered the homestead. They saw various farm animals and villagers running around in a panic. A young man ran up to them.

"You have to get out of here now, while it's still eating the animals in the barn." He warned.

"What's eating the animals?" Kakashi asked. The young man as about to respond but was cut off when the barn exploded, and a giant creature exited it.

Kakashi had seen many strange things in his lifetime but this was one of the top five. Once the smoke cleared the creature was revealed to be a giant boar, or at least it was one once. Its skin was blood red, and covered with callouses. Blood dripped from its maw and it was missing one of its eyes. But the most startling part was how big it was. It was the size of a large carriage and bristled with muscle.

The giant boar let out a cry of rage and was suddenly shrouded in red chakra.

'_It can't be.'_ Kakashi thought as he watched as the boar reared back its head and let out a roar which accompanied another burst of red chakra. _'There's no mistake, it's just like the chakra I felt all those years ago.'_ The boar suddenly charged at Team 7, forcing Kakashi's hand. He turned around and saw both Sasuke and Sakura shaking, both were heavily affected by the boars potent chakra and killing intent. Naruto however seemed unaffected.

"Naruto take your teammates and get them, to safety!" Kakashi ordered as he prepared to face the creature. Naruto nodded and grabbed Sasuke and Sakura. Both of them were shaking, he had to pull them out of the way while his sensei faced the monster.

The Boar charged at Kakashi, intent of running the man through with its razor sharp tusks. Kakashi began gathering chakra and flashing through hand seals. "Doton: Iwarou no Jutsu (Earth Release: Rock Prison Technique)!" A giant formation of rock rose out of the ground and surrounded the boar, it closed in around the creature and imprisoned it. He channeled chakra into the wall until he heard the satisfying crunch of bones.

Before the creature could be finished off a large explosion of red chakra came out of the beast, shattering the stone. He saw its wounds slowly seal themselves up, obviously the chakra granted it a healing ability. It charged once again and Kakashi was forced to try something else. He revealed his sharingan eye and went through several hand seals. He began to channel lighting chakra into his hand, causing a chirping noise to fill the air.

Naruto had just led his teammates behind a granary, the building was solid and would be a good place for them to stay safe. He looked over to where Kakashi was fighting and saw the man channeling lighting chakra.

"I'm fine Naruto, I can fight." Sasuke said, shaking himself out of his stupor. "I'm no longer shaking, the chakra just startled me." Sasuke stood himself up and controlled his breathing. Sakura also shook herself out of her stupor and stood next to her crush.

"Kakashi-sensei ordered us to stay out of this, I'm sure he can handle a single boar." Naruto said as the three looked to where the fight was. Kakashi had leapt into the air, ready to deliver his attack.

"**Fool, it is not just a boar. It's a boar that's been exposed to my potent chakra."** Kurama intoned, breaking Naruto out of his thoughts.

'_What do you mean exposed? You've been sealed for decades.'_ Naruto pointed out to his tenant. He heard Kurama snort.

"**My chakra is not weak like that of humans. Once expelled from my body it lingers for a long time, and can corrupt anything that comes into contact with it. It can drive humans mad, and it can even change simple lifeforms like animals. Your teacher is in trouble."** Explained Kurama.

"Raikiri (Lightning Cutter)!" Kakashi yelled as he delivered his attack to the boar's skull. His chakra coated hand sunk in but before he could reach the boars brain his arm felt like it was on fire. He pulled out his hand in pain and found it coated in black worms which were covered in red chakra. Before he could retreat the boar rammed its head into him sent him flying.

"Shit." He muttered as he looked at his hand, the worms had disintegrated but the flesh was purple and felt like it was on fire. Before he could do anything his students came to his aid. Naruto and Sasuke stood between him and the boar while Sakura coated her hands in medical chakra and began to heal his wounded hand.

"I ordered you to retreat!" Kakashi yelled angrily. He didn't want his students to end up like his old teammates. "You are disobeying a direct order from a superior."

"You said it yourself sensei." Naruto spoke up.

"Ninja who break the rules are trash." Sasuke continued.

"But those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash." Sakura finished as she pumped more chakra into her healing.

Kakashi both loved and hated his students right now. They were foolishly risking their lives, but they were doing so for the best reason. "Very well. Sakura heal me up as best you can. Naruto and Sasuke, use a combination attack to stun the creature."

The boar finished healing its head injury and charged at Team 7 once more, kicking up dust and rock as it charged at them.

"Ready Sasuke?"

"I am." Sasuke responded as he flashed through several hand seals. "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu- (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)!" Sasuke expelled the largest fireball he could manage from his mouth and it shot out towards the beast.

Naruto finished his own hand seals and expelled his own technique. "Futon: Renkudan (Wind Release: Drilling Air bullet)!" Naruto expelled an oxygen rich air bullet directly behind the fireball. Once Naruto's technique hit Sasuke's fireball the fireball expanded three times its size thanks to the oxygen rich wind fanning the techniques flames.

The gigantic fireball slammed into the boar, burning up the flesh that made up its body. The boar fell to the ground panting, before they could celebrate their victory they saw its flesh slowly regenerating as chakra began seeping out of its body.

"**Quick, before it can heal, run up to it and absorb my chakra from it!"** Kurama ordered. Naruto didn't want to argue with the fox so he ran towards the beast despite hearing the protests of his teammates and teacher.

Naruto came up to its side and touched the flesh with his hands. Rather than feeling pain he felt warmth as the chakra that coated the beast instinctively flowed towards Naruto. **"It knows me, it wishes to return to my body. Let it into you." **Kurama urged. Naruto obeyed the foxes wish and let the chakra enter his body.

It filled him with power and after a few seconds all the chakra had entered his seal. The boar's body was beginning to decay, its muscle, flesh and bones were melting into the ground. He looked back to his team and found all three of them walking towards him. Kakashi was nursing his right arm but otherwise seemed fine. Sasuke and Sakura were simply shocked.

"What the hell was that Naruto?" Sasuke asked gesturing to the boars liquefying body. "Did you just take its chakra?"

Kakashi stood between Naruto and his teammates. "I'll explain everything later, for now we should check for survivors and return to the village headman. He will want to know about what happened here." Sasuke saw his sensei's now exposed eye and was about to ask even more questions, but a stern gaze from his teacher silenced him. He would have to wait for his answers.

XXXXXXX

They returned to the village to the elation and cheers of the villagers. The headman realized the worth of the ninjas sent to him and gave them a lovely house to stay in for the night.

Team 7 quickly settled in. Kakashi finished healing his wounded right arm. The group also cleaned themselves up in the houses bathroom and eventually settled in for the talk they had to have.

Now it was time for Kakashi and Naruto to answer questions, something Kakashi was not looking forward to.

"Do you mind explaining what's going on?" Sasuke asked, his patience run thin. "What the hell was that creature and how the hell did Naruto take its chakra?"

Sakura agreed with her crush. "I've heard of people being able to absorb chakra from opponents but there's no way somebody could have absorbed chakra that was so powerful or full of hate." She added. Still remembering the fear that had coursed through her body when she was exposed to the beast's presence.

Kakashi decided to begin the explanation. "That creature was once a boar but it was exposed to the chakra of a tailed beast." He began. "Tailed beasts have chakra that is thicker and more powerful than that of any creature on this earth. Most chakra when it is expelled from the body is dispersed and absorbed by nature. Tailed beast chakra is thick and potent to the point where plants, and even animal won't let it into their bodies, which means it can't be absorbed back into nature."

"So out in the northern forest is a huge deposit of tailed beast chakra?" Asked Sakura, still not believing what she was shearing.

Kakashi nodded. "Before the creation of the shinobi villages the tailed beasts rampaged across the world freely until they were eventually sealed up. The Kyuubi no Kitsune was the last beast sealed, and before it was it ran rampant throughout fire country." He explained. "Usually the chakra is detected by shinobi and sealed up by specialized sealing teams. But this area is remote and one of the most peaceful parts of fire country. It would explain why the chakra deposit to the north was left alone for so long. No doubt animals grew used to its presence and went close to it, and became corrupted as a result." He lifted his arm up which was healing nicely but still a bite sore. "The worms were probably just parasites within the boar that were also tainted the same way the boar was, simple life forms can't handle chakra the way humans can and become corrupt as a result. Before the founding of the hidden villages and the sealing of the tailed beasts these corrupted animals were common which is why they were called demons beasts."

"**He is not wrong. My chakra can twists the body of any creature. The power and hatred within it can drive any creature mad."** Kurama explained. **"I think I came through here several decades ago, but the truth is that time has lost all meaning ever since I was sealed." **

"That doesn't explain why Naruto was able to absorb that chakra." Sasuke point out. "If that was the chakra of a tailed beast why wasn't he driven mad?"

"That…"Kakashi was trying to find the right words. "Is a village secret."

Sasuke and Sakura both looked a little upset by that information. They were about to protest but Naruto decided to tell them the truth.

"It's okay Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said, finally finding the courage to speak up. "I'll tell them, but it might be easier to show them." He reached into his pack and pulled out a small scroll. He channeled his chakra into it and unsealed a small book. It was a small photo album filled with photos of his family, the ones the Sandaime managed to find.

Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi crowded around him as he laid the book down on the floor of the house. He opened it to the first page where a picture of the Sandaime standing next to his mother and father. "These are my parents along with the Hokage." He explained as he showed them the picture.

Both Sasuke and Sakura recognized the man in the picture, Minato Namikaze was known to every child in the village. His face was in the history books in the academy and his face was carved into the Hokage monument overlooking the village.

"Your father was the Yondaime." Sakura said, not quite believing what she was seeing. "When you combine that woman's face with your hair it's so obvious."

"That woman is Uzumaki Kushina, the previous Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune." Said Naruto, shocking both his teammates. "The Shodaime had the Kyuubi sealed within his wife Mito Uzumaki. When Mito grew old and began to die the fox was sealed within my mother, making her the next host."

Both his teammates were stunned beyond all words. Their blond teammate was the child of the Yondaime and his mother was the Jinchuriki of the most powerful demon on earth.

Sasuke suddenly realized something. "You told me your mother died, that means that…"

"Yup." Naruto lifted his shirt, showing them the seal on his stomach. "My mother died shortly after giving birth to me. The Kyuubi escaped while she was in labor and rampaged throughout the village. My father gave his life to seal it within me, making me the next host."

Naruto went on to explain the situation in more detail and answered his team's questions. He explained why they never knew the truth about his prisoner and why the villagers ignored him and detested his presence as well as how he eventually met the Kyuubi.

"All the times I saw them glare at you I assumed it was because of all the pranks you pulled." Sasuke said, finally putting all the pieces together in his head. "Now it all makes sense…why didn't you ever tell me?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I wanted to, but the truth is I liked being treated normally. It's also really embarrassing letting people know that there's an old demon with anger management issues sealed inside of me."

"**You haven't even begun to see my anger."**

Naruto ignored the fox and focused on those in front of him. "So I'm sorry for not telling you sooner." He said.

Sasuke and Sakura nodded, both understanding the situation.

"But why didn't we ever learn that the Shodaime's wife and the Yondaime's wife were Jinchuriki?" Sakura asked. "I've studied our village's history and never even heard about such a thing."

Kakashi decided to answer that. "It was never a widely known fact. We kept the secret as best we could so that enemies wouldn't ever try to steal the beast from us. Naruto is our village's best weapon should another nation use the power of a tailed beast against us. The threat of the demons keep our world in a delicate balance." He explained. "That's what happened all those years ago. Naruto revealed that it was a masked man responsible for the Kyuubi's release. He killed the ANBU guarding Minato and his wife and released the beast into the village. We always knew something happened that night but it wasn't until Naruto spoke with the Kyuubi that we knew it was a single man and not an enemy village responsible"

Seeing that his students understood his words he decided to warn them of their new situation. "Now that you know this story it is never to be revealed to anyone. Not your loved ones, or friends. It's a village secret and revealing Naruto's burden of lineage is considered treason by the Hokage, Naruto is the only exception to that rule."

They were interrupted by a knocking on the door and the entrance of several servants carrying a large array of plates.

"Forgive the interruption shinobi-sama." A young female servant said. "But we have brought you the best food in the village as thanks for your services so far. Please enjoy the bounty of our rich land."

All of them were hungry and accepted the food with many thanks. Soon all four of them were sitting around a large dining room table and began dinner. The food was marvelous. This region and Niseko village in particular was the breadbasket of the country for a reason. Fresh rice, bread, vegetables, and meat filled every plate.

As the team dug into the food Kakashi decided to fill them in on the mission. "From what the headman told me, the boar was the main source of trouble, but he says there are other corrupted animals roaming the forest. First thing tomorrow morning we will scout out the area. Ill determine whether it's safe to continue the mission or not. If resistance is light we can finish the mission and allow Naruto to absorb the chakra from the forest and any beasts we slay."

Team 7 understood their sensei's words

Dinner passes by in silence until Sasuke decided to ask him the other question that was bugging him.

"Why do you have the sharingan?" Sasuke asked to his teacher.

Kakashi didn't want to tell the story so he settled for the abridged version. "I didn't steal it if that's what you're asking." He responded. "A teammate of mine gave it to me. He was dying and I was missing an eye, he felt it would be appropriate that I have his sharingan. That's all you need to know."

Sasuke was tempted to ask for more details but he knew that his teacher was done talking just by his tone.

The team finished eating dinner in relative silence and laid down for a well-earned night's sleep. They were exhausted from the day's events and from the secrets that they heard.

All three genin were laying on futons which were next to each other. The lights were turned off and all was quiet until Sasuke decided to break the silence of the night.

"Oi Dobe, why didn't you tell me about the Fox?" Sasuke asked. "You said you were embarrassed about it but that can't be the only reason."

Naruto let out a frustrated sigh. "Look what do you want me to say? I have next to no friends because parents were always telling children to stay away from me, I didn't want to risk losing my only friend." He confessed.

"Tch please. There are a million things about you that piss me off and make me want to avoid you. Having a demon sealed inside of you doesn't even make it into the top ten." Sasuke said. "If I was going to stop associating with you I would have done it years ago."

"You really are a cold bastard." Naruto muttered. "What about you Sakura, are you okay with me being a Jinchuriki? I won't hold it against you if you want to transfer teams or something."

Sakura who was laying on her own futon shook her head "No I don't have a problem with it Naruto, you're my teammate and I trust you."

"Thanks guys." Naruto said, trying to hold back his emotions. "It means a lot to me."

"Tch whatever dobe. Now go to sleep, It's hard enough sleeping in this cold place without you talking about emotional crap."

"Sasuke-kun, if you feel cold tonight I just want you to know that you can snuggle with me if you want." She said while looking over to Sasuke. His features were visible thanks to moonlight coming through the windows of the room.

He glared at her.

"I would sooner snuggle with Naruto."

Naruto let out a gagging sound. "Okay you stay the hell away from me. But Sakura, I would be willing to snuggle with you if you really wanted to-" He was cut off when Sakura threw a pillow into his face.

"Don't say such perverted things Naruto, you need to learn how to speak to a lady!" Sakura yelled.

"You're the pervert trying to get Sasuke into bed with you." accused Naruto.

"You're both perverts, now shut up and sleep."

Kakashi who was sleeping on the opposite side of the room decided to intervene.

"No one is snuggling with anyone, and if you don't stop talking now I'll be claiming all the blankets for myself. Now go to sleep, we have a long day tomorrow." Kakashi said, his students obeyed and settled down.

Kakashi watched his team as they slowly drifted off to sleep.

'_They are a good team even if they can get on each other's nerves. They worked together to protect me, and they accepted Naruto after learning the truth about his burden. They're good kids…I couldn't ask for a better team.'_ He thought as he settled in to his futon and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

XXXXXXX

Team 7 was up early in the morning. After a simple breakfast of eggs and rice the team did their morning stretches and set out for the northern forest.

Kakashi was cautious, he was tempted to head back to the Hokage but he needed to survey the scene ahead. If he allowed the Niseko village to be overrun with demon animals the Fire daimyo would question Konoha's strength. That was something unacceptable since the village was barely holding onto its position of power as the strongest village.

So he led his team into the northern forest, intent on surveying the scene. The forest was much like the forest around Konoha, with tall thick trees and a cleat forest floor. He could sense the demonic chakra deeper into the forest and it set him on edge.

Both he and his team were standing on the highest tree branches, and were watching for any type of movement on the forest floor. After several minutes of waiting they saw nothing.

The lack of animals in the area was disturbing. There were no birds chirping, small critters running around, or even the sound of insects. He even noticed that some of the trees were withered and dead and there were entire swaths of grass that were blackened. This was no doubt due to the corruption within the forest, the air itself seemed heavier.

He jumped own to the forest floor and gestured for his students to follow him. Soon all three were huddled around him as he prepared to explain the situation. "There are no animals here, most probably fled the forest, were eaten by the corrupted animals, or became corrupted themselves. We need more information before proceeding." He turned to Naruto. "Can the Kyuubi sense any corrupted creatures? He was able to sense the boar from far away."

"I'll ask" Naruto responded.

'_Oi Kurama, do you sense anything out there?'_ Naruto questioned.

"**Haven't I don't enough for you boy? I'm not some mongrel pup you can summon whenever you need questions answered." **Responded Kurama in an irritated voice. "**Why should I tell you anything?"**

'_Because it's what friends do. We help out one another.'_

"**Then ask one of your other friends, I'm busy."**

'_You're not busy, all you ever do is sit around all day bitching about the fact that you're sealed inside of me.' _Naruto knew the fox was being stubborn on purpose just to piss him off. _'If you help me out now I promise to change the scenery in your cell into something more pleasant, like a beach.'_

"**I hate sand."**

'_Mountaintop?'_

"**I hate the breeze of a mountain."**

'_Snowy country?'_

"**I hate snow."**

'_You could bitch about anything! What will it take for you to help me out here?'_

"**On your journey back to the village you leave me the hell alone, I want some uninterrupted sleep."**

'_Deal, now is there anything in the forest?'_ Naruto asked, trying to hold back his frustration.

"**I sense several creatures. A wolf pack and another creature that I can't get a good reading on. The source of my chakra is strong but stationary. You should have no trouble getting to it once the animals are dead."**

'_Fine, thank you Kurama.'_

"He says there are several animals in the forest. A wolf pack and something else he can't get a read on. Naruto explained to his team. "He claims most of the chakra is still in the forest and should be easy for me to absorb."

Kakashi nodded and bit his finger. He used the blood to begin his technique. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)!" He slammed his hand into the ground and a puff of smoke clouded everyone's vision. Once the smoke cleared a small little pug in a shinobi outfit was standing in the clearing.

"Yo Kakashi, did you summon me to meet the brats?" The dog asked as he looked around at the team. He suddenly walked up to Sakura and began to sniff her. "Ahh you use Floral Green shampoo, it's the same type that I use. You have excellent taste."

Sakura's expression became horrified. "I use the same shampoo…as a dog?" Her eyes turned white and she began to foam at the mouth. "A…dog and…I…have the same shampoo…"

Kakashi cleared his throat, drawing his team's attention. "This isn't a social visit Pakkun, there's a source of corruption in this forest and we need you to sniff out anything that might be trouble."

The pug nodded and began his work.

The next thirty minutes was spent traveling through the forest following Pakkun as he led them deeper. As they drew closer to the center they could feel the malevolent chakra that hung over the forest. The deeper they went the darker it became and the more corrupted the trees became.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity they found the source of the chakra. Deep inside of a crater was a giant orb of red chakra. It seemed solid and was pulsing with demonic energy. The ground and trees around it were black and dead. Kakashi looked at the orb and let out a low whistle.

"That is certainly the Kyuubi's chakra. It could've been here for ages. It might have even been from the fallout over a decade ago when he got loose. He used several giant attacks on the village, some of it might have flown this far for all we know." Kakashi said. "No point in speculating though, Naruto get down there and try to absorb it."

Naruto nodded and was about to enter the crater until the sound of movement filled the forest. Team 7 entered a battle formation and were back to back within seconds. The sounds of howling and growling filled the air and everyone could feel the killer intent in the air.

"Pakkun, get out of here. This isn't your type of fight." Kakashi ordered. His dog summon wished them luck and quickly dispelled. Leaving them to fight the creatures.

Out of the forest came a large lumbering figure. It was easily the size of the boar they fought earlier but seemed even stronger. It crashed through the shrubbery and let out a roar. It was a bear, or at least it was once a bear. Its flesh was covered in calluses and bones jutted out like spikes from various parts of its body like a porcupine.

Kakashi lifted up his forehead protector and prepared for battle. "I'll take on this guy, the rest of you make sure nothing surrounds us. Naruto be ready to absorb the chakra out of this thing once I disable it."

"Understood." They chorused together.

While Kakashi moved to engage the demon bear a large pack of wolves broke though the shrubbery and entered the battle, charging at the young ninjas. The demon wolves were horrible creatures with large fangs and fur soaked in blood. But Team 7 stood their ground.

"Let's see if they can regenerate once they've been burnt to ashes." Sasuke declared as he went through several hand seals. "Katon: Karyu Endan (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet)!" Sasuke breathed out a large stream of fire that took on the form of a dragon. The Dragon went for the nearest group of wolves, the dragon consumed them in flame and turned their bodies to ash.

"**The heart is the anchor for all chakra, if you destroy it they cannot regenerate."** Kurama spoke up from within Naruto.

"Kyuubi says to destroy the hearts, it will kill them permanently!" Naruto yelled, hoping that everyone could hear him. Luckily they did and began to act accordingly.

One of the wolves charged Sakura. She channeled chakra into her hands and created chakra scalpels.

The wolf jumped into the air and was lunging for the pink haired girl's neck. Right when it was about to rip out Sakura's throat the girl retaliated. She brought up her right hand and used her chakra scalpel to deliver a slice to the creature's neck, severing its head from its body. In another smooth motion she jabbed her left hand into the creature's chest where her chakra scalpel found the beasts heart and sliced it in half.

The beast crumbled to the ground, headless and heartless. And melted into a puddle of flesh and bone until all that remained was a small bit of red chakra which clung to the ground.

"I…killed something…" She gasped, shocked. She had killed animals before for ninja training. But this wasn't like hunting, this was a fight for one's life. She quickly overcame her shock. _'My team is relying on me, if I freeze up Now Sasuke and Naruto might get hurt.'_

Another wolf charged at Sakura from behind but the girl sensed it. It leapt in the air at her but she ducked under its jump and delivered a quick jab with her right hand and sliced the creature's heart. It crumbled to the ground like the one before it.

Naruto pulled out two of his special kunai. Most shinobi used explosive notes tied to kunai to set off explosions. But Naruto using his clans sealing methods chose to put the seals directly on the blades. Two wolves ran up to the blond and Naruto threw his kunai and they struck the creatures directly in the center of their heads and exploded seconds later. Causing a rain of guts and blood to fall over the forest.

Naruto heard the sound of even more wolves coming at him from behind, rather than face them he went through several hands seals. "Futon: Uzu no Yoroi (Wind Release: Vortex Armor)!" A small cyclone enveloped his body. The three wolves charging at him leapt at the boy but were sheared into pieces once they attacked him. The cutting winds of his vortex armor easily destroying the creature's fleshy bodies.

Kakashi was staring down the demon bear with a fair bit of dread. He knew he had to use ranged attacks since the bear's physical power was enormous. He flash through several hand seals. "Doton: Dosekiryū (Earth Release: Earth and Stone Dragon)!" He summoned forth a large dragon out of the ground composed of earth and stone and sent it towards the bear. The bear tried to attack but the dragon was faster. It wrapped its serpentine body around the bear and squeezed as hard as it could.

The bear simply let out a roar and red chakra erupted from its body, breaking apart the dragon. It was obvious that this plan wouldn't work. He had to use attacks that it couldn't recover from quickly.

While Kakashi fought the bear his team had regrouped and were fighting off the hordes of wolves. Naruto was using his taijutsu along with his vortex armor to shear any wolves that came near the group, while Sakura and Sasuke focused on offense.

"Katon: Goenka (Fire Release: Flamethrower)!" Sasuke concentrated the stream of fire to burn another demon wolf to ash. One of the wolves flanked him and he saw it running at him intent on ripping into his flesh, but he knew he could not react fast enough to hurt it, he was certain he would get bitten and possibly die if it went for his throat.

Suddenly the world seemed to slow down, he could see the creature's movements and everything became so much clearer. Before he could react the head of the wolf was chopped off by Sakura's glowing right hand.

He could see the chakra around her body, and its green color. He could also see the red chara leaving the creatures body, and he watched as Sakura delivered a killing blow to the wolf as her glowing green hand sliced into the creature's chest and cut through the animal's heart, causing the red chakra in its chest to disperse.

"Are you alright Sasuke-kun?"

The sound of Sakura's voice broke Sasuke out of his observations and he saw the girl checking him over.

"Sasuke-kun, your eyes are red!" She brought up her hands to heal his eyes but he pushed them away.

"They aren't bleeding." He said. "We don't have time for it regardless, we still have to fight."

Seeing the truth in his words the pink haired kunoichi turned back to the battle.

Naruto was getting tired of this. No matter how many wolves they killed more kept showing up.

"**A average wolf pack has between fifteen and thirty wolves but can have up to fifty of them in the larger ones. You brats have your work cut out for you." **Kurama said, answering Naruto's internal question.

He threw several more explosive kunai at the wolves and killed several more while scattering the rest. Seeing a half dozen wolves charging at him he knew ninjutsu was the only way to efficiently kill these things. Kunai and shuriken were useless since they had a difficult time reaching the heart, taijutsu was also worthless, and that left ninjutsu. Sadly his clan's water techniques weren't great against these creatures, and he didn't know any fire or lighting jutsu, so that left wind.

"Futon: Renkudan (Wind Release: Drilling Air bullet)!" Naruto yelled as he unleashed an air bullet into the midst of the half dozen wolves charging him. The air bullet had numerous wind blades within it that shredded the wolves and sent them flying off.

'_They are too many of them, we'll be overrun unless we do something.'_ Naruto looked at his options. Clones were the only logical thing to do but shadow clones would be easily dispelled by these creatures so he chose the sturdier option.

"Iwa Bunshin no Jutsu (Rock Clone Technique)!" Naruto formed a dozen earth clones and they promptly ran into the thick of the wolf packs. They distracted the wolves and since they were made of compact earth and rock they were absorbing the creature's bites without problems.

'_Good, that will give us some breathing room, while we fight.'_ Naruto thought as he prepared his next technique.

While Naruto was using wind jutsu and Sasuke was killing wolves with his fire jutsu, Sakura was engaging in close range combat. The few Earth techniques Kakashi had taught her were primarily defensive. Which mean she was relying on her chakra scalpels. The problem was chakra scalpels were intended for surgery rather than combat due to the amount of focus they required as well as chakra control. She had both control and concentration but using them for combat was still taxing.

She knocked another wolf aside and delivered a killing blow to its heart. She was panting heavily and covered in sweat and wolf blood_. 'Even with all my training I'm still lagging behind them'_ She thought as she watched Sasuke unleash another barrage of fireballs and saw Naruto charging up a wind attack. They could kill a several wolves in one blast while she had to kill them individually.

Naruto saw the last group of demon wolves charging at them, a group of eight to be exact. He deactivated his vortex armor and went through several hand seals.

"Futon: Tatsumaki no Jutsu (Wind Release: Cyclone Technique)!" Naruto unleashed a large cyclone from his mouth that ran straight towards the wolves and sucked them all into it. The shearing winds of the cyclone shredded the wolves into pieces, destroying their hearts and causing red chakra to fall to the ground in puddles.

Looking around Team 7 saw that there were no more enemies to fight, all that remained was pools of red chakra that littered the ground around them. They decided to turn their attention to their teacher.

After numerous attacks of each element the demon bear was still standing. This entire time Kakashi had been playing cat and mouse with the creature. Letting it chase him as he used various long ranged ninjutsu, but that accomplished nothing except pissing the thing off. He couldn't use close range techniques either since the bear was so powerful. Water was useless and too chakra intensive since he didn't have a water source to pull from, it was too large for wind to work, its red chakra shattered earth, and most lighting attacks were short range which meant getting within melee distance of it.

Kakashi was becoming exhausted but he realized that fire would be the best weapon since the bear took longer to regenerate from burns. He had numerous fire Jutsu at his disposal and finally decided on one that would do the best job of burning an animal of this size.

"Katon: Goka Mekkyaku (Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation)!" Kakashi exhaled an enormous wall of the hottest flames he could conjure. The flames covered the bear and began to melt its body away. While not his strongest fire technique it had volume and intense heat.

When the fire dissipated the bears flesh was melted off revealing exposed muscle and bone, the only thing holding the creature together was red chakra. But that didn't stop the bear, its bones began to grow and the spines around its body became more plentiful.

"I have to destroy its heart, but I can't get a good shot in with it still mobile." Kakashi muttered to himself as he saw the demon was slowly getting ready for another attack.

"We can help with that."

Kakashi turned around and saw his students were right beside him, ready to fight.

"This might be beyond our skills we have to figure out a way to hold it down, but it shatters earth jutsu like nothing." Said Kakashi.

Naruto simply grinned. "Leave it to me sensei, I have a technique that can hold it down, you just need to destroy its heart. Just keep in mind I can't keep this technique up that long and it's still pretty weak."

Naruto slammed his front hands together as if he was about to pray. Suddenly a single golden chakra chain sprang out of the boys back, Kakashi had to hide his amazement when the chain went straight for the demon bear and wrapped itself around the creature. The chain burrowed underground as it wrapped the bear up, ensuring that the bear was anchored to the earth and couldn't move.

The bear roared in frustration and let out a huge pulse of red chakra, but the chain held strong and didn't even flinch.

"I can't hold this long…please hurry…" Naruto muttered trying to keep his concentration up. After a year of practicing he still wasn't able to create more than a single chain and he knew it wasn't as strong as it should be, but hopefully it was strong enough to hold the creature down.

Kakashi immediately began to gather lightning chakra into his right hand. He was gathering it as fast as he could but the bear was still letting out pulses of red chakra.

The chains began to weaken with each pulse of chakra. It was obvious Naruto wouldn't be able to hold the technique much longer.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu- (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)!" Sasuke pumped as much chakra as he could into his technique and unleashed a fireball that slammed into the bear, the creature let out a shriek as it began to burn. The chakra that was once being used to cause chakra pulses was now being dedicated to healing the creatures new burn wounds.

That bought enough time for Kakashi to finish his technique and charge at the bears now exposed chest. "Raikiri (Lightning Cutter)!" Kakashi slammed his technique into the chest and right into the creature's heart. He felt his hand burn slightly as it was exposed to the demonic chakra in the bear but he kept the technique going until at last the beast let out a final pained roar before falling to the ground dead.

Naruto sprinted dispersed his chakra chain and ran over to the bear and slammed his hands down onto its chest. Naruto felt immense warmth as the chakra entered his seal, and after ten seconds all the chakra had been taken and the bears body slowly melted into the ground.

"**Do you see now boy? Even the smallest amount of my power can create such powerful creatures. Now you understand why I am the strongest being in this world?"** Kurama declared proudly. Naruto kind of agreed with the fox but he refused to feed the kitsune's already vast ego and simply ignored the creature.

With the battle done Kakashi checked over his students to make sure they were alright. When it was obvious his team suffered only minor scrapes and bruises as well as exhaustion. He let out a happy chuckle.

"Good job team, this was easily a B-rank mission but you all came together as a team." Said Kakashi proudly. "But there's no time for a break right now, Naruto you need to absorb all the chakra in the area to make sure that this never happens again."

The next ten minutes was spent with Naruto walking around the area and absorbing every bit of residual chakra left behind. Eventually he made it to the source, the giant crater of Kurama's chakra that started this whole mess.

He walked down to the chakra and put both his hands on the swirling red mass. He absorbed the swirling chakra into his body.

Much to everyone's surprise the air felt lighter, and the forest seemed brighter. Team 7 looked around and for the first time could appreciate the scenery.

"It'll be years before this place is completely healed, but at least it's capable of healing." Kakashi said. "Let's report to the village headman and tell them of our success. I want us to be back in Konoha within three days."

The journey back to the village was spent in silence. Once they got to Niseko village they were greeted with applause and many thanks by the villagers. Eventually the village headman came forth to greet them, his previous bad attitude was gone.

"Honored shinobi of Konoha, you have saved our lives and livelihoods. We will never again doubt the strength of a shinobi. We wish to hold a feast in your honor, will you please stay one more night?" He asked sincerely.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head. "While a feast is a great honor we were merely doing our jobs. We must report back to our village and report this to the Hokage. I will personally ask him to schedule a few patrols to come through here to check on this area to make sure nothing like this happens again."

The village headman once more thanked the shinobi for their services. The team packed up their belongings and began their walk out of the village. Something that was extremely difficult due to the amount of people walking up to them and thanking them.

Kakashi had to turn down numerous gifts and a few marriage proposals that some of the young girls were offering him. He was used to villagers overreacting to shinobi who were simply doing their job. His students were not.

Sasuke hated the attention and the young girls here were worse than the fan girls back in the academy. He had to resist setting the entire town on fire when a girl ran up to him and hugged him. Sakura had quickly ripped the girl off of him and sent her back to the crowd with a strong glare and a good deal of killing intent.

Naruto was reveling in the attention and adoration, it was the sort of thing he wanted when he became Hokage. He waved, blew kisses, and accepted a flower from a girl his age. The attention he was getting was beyond flattering.

Sakura was pissed at the attention Sasuke was getting from the other girls in the village. While some of the adoration that some of the young men directed towards her was flattering it wasn't enough to outweigh the fact she had to actively glare at the girls in the village to keep them away from Sasuke.

Eventually they made it out of the crowd and were running across the vast countryside, once they set a casual pace Kakashi decided to talk to his students.

"I can't tell you how proud I am of all of you, in these last few months of training you have become true ninja." He said. "I am impressed with your abilities to learn techniques, keep your heads in a dangerous situation, but most of all your teamwork is superb."

His team soaked up the praise happily. But Kakashi wasn't done.

"And Sasuke, it seems you've activated your sharingan, quite the accomplishment." Kakashi added.

The Uchiha nodded. "With these new eyes of mine I can master jutsu even faster." He said with a confident smirk on his face. "Naruto will have to train even harder to keep up with me, assuming he isn't simply left behind in m dust."

The blonde simply stuck his tongue out at his teammate. "New eyes won't save you from the ass-kicking's I'm going to be delivering." Naruto responded.

Seeing the blond antagonize his Uchiha teammate reminded Kakashi of something else that occurred on the mission.

"Naruto those chains, that was the Uzumaki clan's adamantine chakra chain technique wasn't it?" Kakashi asked as he gazed at his blond student.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, it's a sealing technique that's supposed to create numerous unbreakable chakra chains, but I can only make one of them so far, and it's hardly unbreakable. If Sasuke hadn't hit that bear with a fireball they would have shattered."

"Sealing?" Kakashi asked. "That looked more like ninjutsu to me."

Naruto shrugged. "In order for the chains to come out of the body they need a sealing network and my clans special chakra. Explaining it would be pretty complicated but the ability sort of walks the line between Fuuinjutsu and ninjutsu."

That information was interesting. Kakashi remembered Kushina using the chains as her main form of attack and defense. It seemed Naruto was becoming proficient with his clans sealing techniques. With his students becoming stronger he would be hard pressed to manage their training.

'_They are going to be running me ragged these next few months, I might not even have time to read my precious books.'_ He thought as he and his team headed home.

XXXXXXX

"Very interesting report Kakashi, I will be sending patrols through that area at least once a month to investigate the site and make sure the region is safe." Hiruzen said, as he looked at the report Team 7 had handed in. "I will make sure your team gets reimbursed accordingly, this was a B-rank mission bordering on an A-rank. I will see to it you are all paid the amount of a B-rank mission."

Sasuke and Sakura bowed the Hokage and thanked him while Naruto simply let out a cry of joy for completing a B-rank mission.

"Now I'm sure you all wish to go home and rest, Kakashi will handle the rest of the mission briefing. You have served your village well."

"You know it Jiji, someday it will be me wearing that hat of yours while your take it easy on a beach somewhere." Naruto said.

"I look forward to that day Naruto-kun" Hiruzen responded, amused by the boys enthusiasm. "Until then go home and get some rest."

The pre-teens obeyed their leader's wishes and left the building leaving Kakashi and the Sandaime alone. The old man lit his pipe and took a long drag of it, enjoying the taste of fire country tobacco.

"You got very lucky Kakashi." The Sandaime finally said. "I'm glad the mission turned out the way it did but you should have called for reinforcements. Taking fresh genin to fight animals infused with demonic chakra was a huge risk."

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I know it was a risk, but truthfully I didn't expect a demon bear to show up. I probably would have done as you said but my team has exceeded my highest expectations, I was confident they could handle it."

The Sandaime chuckled. "Indeed they are shaping up well, how is their progress exactly? You haven't really said anything specific about them."

Kakashi sighed. "Truthfully I was expecting them to be a mess. Between Sasuke's antisocial personality, Naruto's loud boisterous attitude, and Sakura's crush on Sasuke were all a recipe for disaster." He began. "But Sasuke and Naruto have managed to bond due to their similar pasts and the shared desire to grow stronger. Sakura has also been welcomed into the group, her desire to impress Sasuke with strength has made her into a capable kunoichi, and after this mission she and Naruto are getting along better than ever."

The Hokage nodded thoughtfully. "That's very good to hear, most genin don't take their ninja training seriously at first. It's good to see some of the next generation doing so well." He said, with obvious pride in his voice. "It seems like teaching suits you."

"Teaching is a huge pain in the ass, but it has its perks." Kakashi admitted. "They've shown how serious they are, I'm going to be teaching them more ninjutsu, and refining their taijutsu. With luck they will be ready for the Chunnin exams that are coming up."

"Do you really think a rookie team will be ready for that?" The Hokage asked. "I know they show potential but fighting against a shinobi is not the same as killing a corrupted animal."

Kakashi understood the older man's concerns. "I know it's not the same, but it would hurt their development to not have them partake in the exams. They will grow frustrated with average C-ranks, they need challenges if they are to grow. Sasuke learns all the ninjutsu I can throw at him almost instantly, Sakura's medical skills are far better than my own, and Naruto is already becoming adept in his family's Fuuinjutsu."

"Indeed they are getting better." He agreed. "Keep up the good work Kakashi, I only hope the other Jounin instructors are doing as well with their teams."

XXXXXXX

"Man I missed this place!" Naruto exclaimed as he sat down at his favorite table in Ichiraku Ramen. "I loved traveling but being back home is nice. You can't get good ramen on the road."

Across from him his two teammates were looking at their menus.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted which was the closest thing to an agreement Naruto would get.

"It is nice being home, my parents are going to be so surprised when they see me." Agreed Sakura as she looked at her menu.

"Shouldn't you be with your parents right now?" asked Sasuke. "You don't have to eat here with us, your parents can probably cook you something at home. It beats having to listen to Naruto talk about ramen for an hour."

Sakura chuckled at her crushes words. She was slowly being accepted by her teammates. Her skills on the battlefield made Sasuke respect her a bit. If she could keep this up it would only be a matter of time until he opened up to her. "I'll be seeing my parents soon, but I want to spend a bit of time with you and Naruto. "

Ayame arrived and took all their orders and left the three of them to talk in peace.

"So Sasuke, how's that sharingan of your doing?" asked Naruto as he looked at his friends eyes. "Can you see stuff more clearly, and if so what does it look like?"

Sasuke activated his sharingan and looked at the blond. "It's still not developed but I can see chakra surrounding people's bodies, I'm pretty sure I could copy jutsu just by observing them." He deactivated his eyes and saw his vision return to normal.

"Guess I'm going to have to work even harder." Muttered Naruto, if his friend could memorize jutsu super quickly it would make him much more powerful. He would need to focus on his Fuuinjutsu in order to keep up.

The Uchiha scoffed. "These eyes make me more powerful but memorizing jutsu only gets you so far. I'll have to train my body to keep up with what my new eyes perceive."

Sakura sighed sadly. "You guys are getting so strong…"

Sensing what his teammate was feeling Sasuke decided to put her at ease. "Your medical techniques are very powerful. Naruto and I wouldn't have been able to fight those wolves effectively without you." He said. "You also stopped that wolf from biting me when my eyes activated. Your skills are merely different from ours, that doesn't make them weaker." He put forth factually.

Sakura felt her cheeks growing warmer, those were the nicest words Sasuke had ever said to her. Before she could respond Ayame set their food on the table.

The meal was a pleasant one, if you ignored Naruto guzzling ramen down like a man starved. The boy finished six enormous bowls and was working on the seventh.

"It was nice to go on a difficult mission involving combat, but from here on out every single C-rank mission we get will be dull by comparison." Sasuke muttered sadly.

Naruto finished his seventh bowl of ramen and turned to his friend.

"Yeah that is pretty lame. I mean what are the odds of a C-rank mission turning out exciting and dangerous a second time?"

XXXXXXX

**Authors note**

Another chapter pumped out. I won't be able to update as often since I'm starting school but I promise to keep working on chapters as much as possible.

I'm a little sad by the lack of response to chapter I am comforted by the fact that reviews I do get are wonderful and intelligent. They are all supportive, offer constructive criticism, and are fairly well spelt. I'll take quality over quantity any day. You guys are the best.

I also decided to take after the author Kenchi618 and write the techniques translations right next to the Japanese words. Makes Jutsu that much easier.

Also thank you to those who pointed out that I misspelled Sakura's last name in the last chapter. That was a terrible mistake on my part. I went back and corrected as many of the misspellings as I could, hopefully I got them all. Then again most people hate Sakura so they probably didn't even care.

Demon animals in this chapter, at first I thought it was too strange but considering this is a world with giant toads, slugs, and the fact that the manga ended with giant chakra gundams fighting each other. The idea of demon animals wasn't too silly in my opinion and I think I gave them a good enough background for existing. I wanted something a bit more original for Team 7 to have as their first real tough mission and I felt corrupted animals would be interesting to write. Props to you if you got the boar reference, it means you have good taste in anime.

Also I know I'm not that great at writing fight scenes yet but I'm trying to improve. I suck at writing taijutsu in particular which is why I enjoyed the fight scenes here since it was animal vs man.

Don't worry guys, I'm still doing the Wave arc, but I'm going to be taking a good deal of creative liberties with it. The last thing I want is another typical wave arc saga that has been way overdone.

Some people have complained that Sakura is OOC. I know she is, and she's much stronger than her manga counterpart. But If I didn't change her she would be a terrible character in this story and throw off team dynamics, I didn't want to resort to bashing her. Other have complained that Naruto is too underpowered, while others says he's too strong. I guess it's true you can't make everyone happy. I like a god-like Naruto as much as the next guy but in this story I want characters to develop naturally.

Also again with pairings, I can't believe I'm talking about this again but people have been messaging me non-stop about the harem thing. Look there won't be any real romance until after the characters have gotten a bit older. Right now I just want to get the story going. At this point Im saying no to a harem, its too complicated and ruins immersion.

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review, even a short one is encouraging.


	5. Blood amidst the waves

**Chapter 5**

**Blood amidst the Waves**

**Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto or any properties associated with Naruto**

XXXXXXX

"I am so glad I learned this technique." Naruto said as he watched as numerous shadow clones sat around his living room and read his family's Fuuinjutsu scrolls. He had read up on the scrolls the Sandaime had given him and found that when clones dispelled he could learn everything they learned. He didn't want to rely on it as a huge crutch so he simply decided they would best be used for studying scrolls and techniques while he trained his body.

"Yeah well, if you want you could help us learn all this stuff you lazy prick." One of the clones muttered as he read through his scroll.

'_I could do without the attitude.'_ Naruto thought as he read his own notes. While the clones were busy learning his family's Fuuinjutsu he was trying to improve on a few original seals he was creating. Specifically he was studying their durability seals and its application to clones. He picked up the scroll he was reading and walked out into his garden. Thanks to his shadow clones the garden was growing larger each day and he couldn't help but admire it. He walked past the clones doing gardening and walked into the middle of his houses training field.

The last month had been boring. After Team sevens animal extermination mission they were stuck doing D-ranks again. The only silver lining is that Kakashi was training them a bit more seriously in order to distract them from the fact they were stuck with D-ranks.

Kakashi was training them in every single ninja art, but with a particular emphasis on ninjutsu since it was his specialty and the thing he was most qualified to train them in. Things were good but Naruto was falling a bit behind in training. Even with shadow clones Naruto couldn't keep up with his teammates with ninjutsu training due to Sasuke having the sharingan, and Sakura's freakish chakra control thanks to her medic-nin training.

So he turned instead to his family's Fuuinjutsu. The sealing arts were difficult and strange but very rewarding. He knew if he could master his family's abilities he would gain the strength to become Hokage.

That didn't mean he had walked away from Kakashi's training empty handed. The man had taught him several more techniques, the most useful of which were the elemental shadow clone techniques. He had learned two of them. One of them involved using lighting while creating the shadow clone, this made the clone into an electric bomb since when it was dispelled it created an electrical discharge. Making them ideal for close range combat since any who punched them out of existence would get shocked.

The second one he learned was an earth shadow clone. Shadow clones needed a functioning chakra network, which made rock clones a problem since stone didn't allow chakra to flow through it. So instead the earth shadow clone was made by mixing chakra with solid earth and creating mud which allowed chakra flow. The mud clone was especially good since it could absorb numerous strikes and even reform itself if it got a piece of itself broken off. The only weakness was that a water technique would wash the clone away and reforming itself caused the clone to use up some of its chakra. Which meant it would eventually run out of chakra and dispel.

Aside from his basic training with his new shadow clone techniques he was also trying to master the use of chakra chains, but it wasn't going great. The ability was unique to those with chakra of the Uzumaki clan. His mother and Mito Uzumaki could conjure the chains out of any part of their body without the aid of seals. But he required a sealing network along his body in order to form the chains since the seals helped him focus his chakra.

He took off his shirt and looked down at his body. While his body looked normal now, if he channeled chakra it would reveal it was covered in seals of various natures, creating a tapestry of symbols. He had numerous seals painted on his back, and several around the seal that held back the Kyuubi. He also had two that he had painted on his hands last night. Naruto created an earth clone and had it stand far away in front of him. He aimed his right hand at the clone and channel chakra into it.

"Kusari Seisei no Jutsu (Chain Generation Technique)!" A golden adamantine chain shot out of the palm of his hand and headed straight for the clone. The clone tried to dodge but the chain moved and actively sought the clone out. It wrapped around the clone and held it in place, Naruto channeled a bit more chakra into it and the chain tightened, causing the clone to crumble into dust.

Naruto aimed his left hand forward and tried the same thing, but the chain was thin and quickly fell apart. He was still limited to only one chakra chain at a time.

"Damn, do I not have enough chakra, or do I just suck at this?"

"**I'll go with the one that points to you being a failure." **

Naruto ignored the fox. The bastard was never really helpful, but at least he was becoming more talkative.

He decided to turn back to his regular training, he couldn't slack off. Sasuke was training endlessly with his sharingan and Sakura was volunteering at the local hospital and training with her parents. He couldn't fall behind. He created an army of regular shadow clones and entered a combat stance, ready to spar.

"I can't let myself become the weak link of my team. If I can't protect my comrades I can never become Hokage."

XXXXXXX

**1 week later**

"I hate this cat." Naruto muttered as he held Tora, the Fire Daimyo's cat. Or rather his fat wife's cat. Team 7 had just finished catching Tora for the third time in the last two weeks. It was a huge pain in the ass whenever the Fire daimyo visited Konoha since the man's wife always lost her cat, or rather the cat couldn't stand her and ran away.

The team was walking through the busy streets of Konoha and were about to enter the Hokage Tower to report their missions success and acquire payment for their hard work.

"I can't wait for the Fire Daimyo to return to the capital, he's been here for months." Sakura muttered as she channeled healing chakra onto her own claw wounds before moving on to her teammates.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted with a bit more anger than usual, as he glared at the furry menace that Naruto held.

"Don't say that too loudly." Warned Kakashi. "It's an honor to have the Fire Daimyo here even if his presence causes us some inconvenience. It's rare for a ninja village to have such a good relationship with the leader of the country. So for as long as he is here, you will smile and bear it." He finished as they entered the tower.

In truth Kakashi was growing tired of the daimyos presence as well, but his constant presence here gave a great boom to the village's economy. He brought his entire court whenever he journeyed here and they all made numerous purchases on luxury goods. It was also a chance to show off the villages best ninja in an attempt to impress. It was usually members of the Daimyo's court that would hire ninjas for high risk and high pay missions.

Team 7 and their sensei finally made it to the Hokage's office where the Third was sitting behind the mission's desk going through paperwork.

"Team 7 reporting a mission complete Hokage-sama." Kakashi said as took the cat from Naruto's grasp and handed it to Madam Shijimi, its owner.

"Oh my cute little Tora-chan! I was so worried!" Madam Shijimi screamed in joy as she snuggled up to her precious pet. Tora was obviously unhappy as the fat woman snuggled him to death. While Team 7 simply watched and laughed at the cats apparent misery.

"Good work." The Sandaime complimented as he browsed through the mission reports. "Now that you've found Tora I have several missions for you to choose from. You can babysit an elder's grandson, help the hospital staff pick medicinal herbs, or help plow the eastern fields for this year's potato crop or-" The Hokage was cut off by Madam Shijimi screaming as Tora got out of her grasp and jumped out of a nearby window and into the streets. "It appears a mission to recapture Tora also just became available."

"No way!" yelled Naruto. "I am so sick of these lame missions. Give us another C-rank!" He was cut off by Kakashi giving him a light smack on the back of the head.

"Quiet down Naruto, you should be more respectful to the Hokage when you're on duty." He said, even if he did partially agree with the blonde. His team was wasted on these missions.

Iruka who was working the mission bench decided to lecture the genin. "Naruto your still a genin, you have to do these missions in order to prove yourself, then you'll be given harder missions."

Naruto scoffed. "Bah, we took on an army of corrupted animals in our last mission. You said it yourself Jiji, that mission was a B-rank and bordering on an A-rank. We should be able to handle anything another C-rank can throw at us!" He declared proudly.

Iruka was about to interrupt but the Hokage beat him to it.

"Very well then, I suppose given your track record I can allow another C-rank." He said, much to Team sevens delight. "It's not anything special, it's a simple protection mission of a certain individual as they return home and complete some construction work. Worst case scenario is that you run into bandits or wild animals, the non-demonic kind."

Naruto was ecstatic. "Who are we protecting? Is it a banished prince, or maybe a princess?" He asked, barely containing his excitement.

"Calm down Naruto, I'm about to introduce him." The Third turned to Iruka. "Bring in the client."

Iruka left the room for a second and brought in the person Team 7 would be protecting. It was an older man, who was guzzling down a bottle of sake. He turned to team 7 and frowned. "These are the brats who are supposed to be protecting me?" he asked as his eyes drifted over the team. "The boys are okay I suppose but that little girly girl isn't going to cry when she breaks a nail is she?"

Sakura's eyes twitched angrily as she glared at the older man. It took every single shred of willpower to stop herself from showing the older man the sharp end of a kunai.

"Tch whatever, can't be helped I guess. Anyway I'm Tazuna." Tazuna said while pointing to himself. "I'm the best bridge builder in the world. I expect you to provide me with super protection as I travel back to my country and complete construction on a bridge there."

Kakashi stepped forward. "Rest assured every member of this team are combat ready shinobi with battle experience, your life is in good hands." He said, praising his team abilities.

Tazuna scoffed.

"We'll see…"

XXXXXXX

It was early in the morning when Team 7 met up at the village gates.

Naruto looked at their drunken client and wasn't impressed by the man at all. He couldn't believe that someone who was constantly drunk could possibly be a master architect of any sort.

"Alright team, I trust you've all packed. This is going to be a long mission since we are escorting him to his home, and protecting him while he builds his bridge." Kakashi said, as he looked over his genin and their packs. Receiving nods from them he led them all out of Konoha's gates and onto the road.

Several hours of walking quickly bored his students to death.

"Can't we go any faster?" grumbled Naruto as he let out a yawn. "This pace is horrible."

Sasuke nodded. "I agree, this mission is going to take forever at this pace." He muttered, angry that he was wasting time on a babysitting mission when he could be training.

Kakashi sighed. "On this mission we are obligated to protect the client, which means keeping pace with him."

"Hyperactive brats aren't they?" Tazuna muttered. "Are you sure they can protect me if anything happens? I thought I was hiring ninja's, these brats don't look so tough to me."

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura glared at their client while Kakashi tried to keep the peace.

"They are very capable, but keep in mind that I am a Jounin. The worst we can expect on this road are a few bandits or a wild animal. You are safe with us." Said Kakashi. But Tazuna didn't seem to be any happier.

The day was rather boring and without the ability to train on the road or go at a pace faster than a fast walk, his genin were getting restless. Kakashi looked over and saw Sakura trying to get Sasuke to talk to her and Naruto peering at his forehead protector.

"Oi Naruto is everything okay with your headband?" asked Kakashi.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, it's just confusing. All the symbols of the various hidden villages don't make any sense." He said as he continued looking at his headband.

"How so?"

"Well the Suna's symbol looks like a disfigured eight or some kind of gourd, Kumo's symbol looks like a puddle, Iwa's symbol looks like a dog turd, Kiri's symbol is a bunch of squiggly lines which doesn't even make any sense. I know our symbol is supposed to be a leaf but it looks more like a snail fell over and it can't get up."

"It does." Sakura said as she peered at her own forehead protector.

Kakashi saw Sasuke was looking at his own headband. Kakashi had to resist taking his off.

'_Boredom is going to kill us at this rate.' _He thought as he watched his genin continuing to mess around with their headbands.

They continued to walk for several more hours. Naruto felt boredom slowly killing him until a familiar voice spoke up.

"**Bored?"** Kurama questioned, breaking Naruto out of his forehead protector.

'_Well duh, I'm stuck walking at a snail's pace to a country that's located on an island to the south of fire country.'_

"**Now you know what it's like for me, stuck inside of this seal having to see the world through your eyes."**

'_Well it's your own damn fault for getting sealed away.'_ Naruto responded as he looked around at the land scape. His eyes eventually drifted towards Sakura. He'd be lying if he said he had completely gotten over his attraction to her. He knew they would never work out, and that she only had eyes for Sasuke. But he loved women who stood out, and her hair really did stand out.

"**You still pining after that girl?"** Asked Kurama as he saw where his containers eyes were lingering.

'_No, I'm just appreciating fine art.'_ Was Naruto's simply response.

"**You organisms with your need to procreate…"** Kurama drifted off as he made a slight gagging sound

That confused Naruto_. 'Are you saying that in all the hundreds, maybe thousands of years you've been alive you've never…' _He drifted off hoping that Kurama would get his meaning.

"**Of course not!"** Kurama responded. **"You organisms with your sex drives. Flinging your genetic material at each other. Frankly I find it offensive." **

'_We don't fling it!'_ Naruto retorted with a slight blush on his face. _'I remember sex education back at the academy, there is no flinging involved. How the hell would you even know anyway? You just admitted to never having sex.'_

"**Oh yes, but you forget that I was sealed inside of your mother, and I was forced to see the world through her eyes…"** He drifted off but Naruto could sense that the fox was feeling smug.

'_Wait a minute you don't mean…'_

"**That's right, every time your mother and father would get intimate I was forced to listen and watch as she did unspeakable things. It makes my skin crawl just remembering it. This one time your father was wearing his Hokage robes and-"**

'_You shut the hell up right now, I'm not having this conversation with you.'_ Naruto interrupted harshly.

"**My point is that I'm actually glad to be sealed within you. With your looks and personality you're going to be a virgin forever. Which means I never have to see such horrible things ever again."** He said in a rather uncharacteristic cheerful voice.

'_I hate you.'_

"**True, but thanks to this conversation you aren't bored anymore are you?"**

Naruto chose to ignore the fox and focus on the road. Boredom was better than hearing stories about his parents that were best left untold.

Decided to use his time more wisely he reached into his pocket and pulled out a book. It was a book the Sandaime had given him and it was his absolute favorite.

_Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi_

He had read it numerous time, it was a good story. It is what inspired his parents to name him Naruto, he opened to the middle and began to read.

XXXXXXXX

**3 days later**

"It's been three days, how much longer is this going to take?" Naruto grumbled as he watched Tazuna trudge along at what couldn't even be called a brisk pace. Three days of pointless walking, the only training they could manage was at night when they stopped to rest. Even then they couldn't do anything flashy since it could attract enemies to their location.

"Patience is an important skill for any shinobi to have." Kakashi offered, in an attempt to calm the blond down. His team was certainly on edge at this point.

"Tch if you brats have so much energy maybe you could help me carry my bags. I'm an old man after all." Tazuna said, while offering his bag to Sasuke.

The Uchiha simply glared at the older man while activating his sharingan. "We aren't here to carry your things, we are here to protect you. So unless your bag becomes self-aware and attempts to kill you I won't lift a finger." Sasuke stated angrily, causing the bridge builder to back off.

They continued walking until they saw a puddle on the road. Kakashi was suspicious and he saw his team was suspicious as well. No one said anything but he could tell by the slight tensing of their shoulders and the way they arranged themselves in a protective formation around the client that they were aware of the upcoming ambush.

Sakura took point which meant she would be behind the group when the enemy attacked from behind, which suited her role as medic and defender. Her earth jutsu would easily be able to protect the client in a worse cast scenario.

Naruto and Sasuke both positioned themselves perfectly so that the client would be protected from both sides. Kakashi was tempted to help them, but he wanted to see how his team would respond to a combat situation like this. He would stay within range to help them if things got iffy, but judging from the enemies weak genjutsu they were most likely amateurs who were used to preying on merchants.

Suddenly the two enemy ninja melted out of their genjutsu and charged at them. Kakashi knew he could easily dispatch these two now, they were sloppy. He waited until they began their attack before swapping himself with a log.

The demon brothers smiled as they used their two gauntlets linked by a viciously sharp chain shredded the silver haired man and sent pieces of him flying all over the ground.

"One down." They chorused together.

They then turned to the rookie genin and charged at them. Much to their surprise the children weren't panicking like they thought they would be. Rookie genin should have been paralyzed with fear. Instead the girl was standing in front of the bridge builder, her hands glowing blue with chakra as the two boys prepared for battle.

Both boys went through various ways to handle the situation, but given the fact they didn't know the capabilities of their enemies they chose ninjutsu as the safest bet since it had worked so well during their last combat mission. Both went through hand seals and released their techniques.

"Suiton: Mizurappa (Water Release: Wild Water Wave)!" Naruto expelled a large stream of water from his mouth that was aimed at one of the enemy shinobi.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)!" Sasuke released a moderate sized fireball that went for the other enemy shinobi.

Both attacks met their intended targets, the demon brothers tried to dodge but they were already too late and too close to avoid the attacks. They had underestimated the genin and were paying the price. Both attacks hit them simultaneously and the effects were drastic.

Sasuke's attack hit its target and the man was consumed by the fireball. His clothes caught fire, his skin burnt, and he let out a pained scream that echoed across the area.

Naruto's attack set the other brother flying through the air as the water stream hit him directly in the chest. He went flying into a tree where is head impacted with a sickening crack, he fell to the ground in a heap, his neck sticking out at an unnatural angle.

Silence reined over the area. Both Naruto and Sasuke were shocked, the adrenaline of their fight wore off and they realized what they had done. Both men were lying motionless on the ground, they weren't moving, and they weren't breathing. They were dead.

Kakashi appeared next to his students. After looking over his team and seeing they had no visible injuries walked up and brought his two male students close to him in a huddle.

"Breathe, it's all right. You two are going to be fine." Kakashi said, attempted to soothe his students. "The first time is always the hardest, but remember that they intended to kill both of you as well as Sakura and our client. You saved their lives."

Both boys nodded but by their breathing he could tell they hadn't fully come to terms with what just happened. Kakashi cursed himself a bit, he had hoped to hold off on this sort of thing for a while, but killing was a constant part of shinobi life. They had to be introduced to it eventually, he just wish it hadn't been so soon.

"It was a water technique, I didn't even pump that much chakra into it." Naruto muttered weakly. "I didn't mean to…" He looked over at the man he killed and saw his broken neck.

"I have never used a fire technique on a human before, I didn't know it would…" Sasuke couldn't even continue. He looked over at the burnt man's body and felt sick. He remembered the few weak fire techniques he had used against Naruto in their spars, one misfire and he could have killed one of his friends.

Kakashi saw that there was no helping it, the only thing that would help these two was time. They needed time to come to terms with what had just happened. He turned to Sakura who was gazing at her teammates with obvious worry, and their client who was staring at the ground.

"Sakura, take Naruto and Sasuke to a safe place and set up camp. We are done traveling for today." Ordered Kakashi. Sakura nodded and went followed his orders. Kakashi turned to his client. "Once we set up camp the two of us are going to have a long talk."

Tazuna didn't protest and simply nodded.

XXXXXXX

Kakashi was not having a good day. Both Naruto and Sasuke were as silent as the grave, while Sakura set up numerous seals around their campsite. They had found a good place hidden in a rocky hill, the area would hide a small fire, and be hard to sneak up on. Sakura was also setting up several seals up round the camp, the seals were a little invention of Naruto's.

It was a perimeter seal. It was an almost invisible seal that is placed on the ground and hidden by dirt. The seal can spread for 100 yards on the ground in every direction and will notify the creator of the seal when something has entered the area with any sort of chakra higher than your basic animal. It was an ingenious little creation, and he felt pride knowing his student had created such a thing.

After they finished setting up camp, and after Sakura finished setting up security everyone gathered around the fire.

Tazuna told them the story of his country and why he had lied about the mission. It was a long and tragic story and Kakashi could sympathize with the man's plight. But right now his main concern was his students. Naruto and Sasuke simply stared blankly at Tazuna and when he was finished he bowed to all of them.

"I'm really sorry about all this." Tazuna apologized, his usual gruff voice replaced with once full of sincerity. "I didn't want any of this to happen, but my country is in a terrible way. People are suffering and starving."

"We have to continue the mission." Naruto spoke up suddenly, shocking everyone. It was the first time he had spoken since they set up camp.

"The fate of an entire country is in our hands." Sakura added. "I don't think I could turn away from a country in need and live with myself."

"I agree." Said Sasuke, his voice returning to him. "If we don't continue this mission an entire country will suffer, and everything we've done this far will have been for nothing."

Kakashi understood their reasons, if they didn't continue they would have taken two lives for nothing, but he couldn't continue a mission with both of them still not alright. "We will discuss this in the morning, you two still aren't in any condition to fight." He could tell both of them wanted to protest but they stayed silent.

After a simple dinner of fish and rice Sasuke wandered off to train while Sakura went off to take first watch. Tazuna simply went to sleep, exhausted by the day's events. That just left Naruto and Kakashi alone.

"Are you feeling better Naruto?" asked Kakashi.

Naruto nodded. "I am, it's just tough. I didn't mean to kill him. I just wanted to protect my friends." He said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Kakashi smiled. "I know Naruto, and you did well. Protecting your comrades is the best reason to take a life." He said in a soothing voice.

"I just…" Naruto trailed off. "Some people back in the village call me demon, I always dismissed them and their remarks. But for the first time I feel like one."

Kakashi rested a hand on the blondes shoulder. "Naruto I have met numerous ninja throughout my long career. Some were good, others were monsters in the body of a man. I can honestly say that you are as far from being a demon as possible." He explained. The blonde smiled and much to Kakashi's surprised wrapped the Jounin in a light hug.

Naruto quickly realized what he had just done and backed away. "Sorry, feeling a little emotional right now, I just reacted." Apologized Naruto. "Let's just forget this happened."

Kakashi laughed. "Its fine Naruto, believe me when I say that I was a wreck after my first time."

That seemed to soothe Naruto and the boy's shoulders relaxed. Kakashi felt confident that after a good night's rest Naruto would bounce back. So he decided to help out his other student. "If you'll excuse me Naruto, I have to talk with our team's avenger." Kakashi got up and headed in the direction where he had seen Sasuke head off to.

Naruto felt himself relax as the guilt and internal doubt he had suffered over the last several hours fade away.

"**Finally got your cherry popped eh?"** Kurama asked, breaking Naruto out of his relaxation.

'_Not now Kurama.'_ Growled Naruto, he was not in the mood for this crap.

"**I'm just saying you finally became a ninja. The ninja world is built on killing, you just took a very important first step."**

'_I know you have a dim outlook on the world but I don't. Ninja protect their country, their comrades, and the people they care about. I killed that man in order to protect my friends!'_ declared Naruto with as much conviction as he could muster.

Kurama wasn't impressed. **"You say you killed to protect your friends, maybe the men you killed were killing to feed their families, or they believed that you were an enemy of their country and a threat to their friends and loved ones. It's funny how people on both sides of a conflict tend to have the same reasons for murdering each other. You are still young Naruto, still an innocent child ignorant of the world."**

'_I am not an innocent child, I killed a man. My innocence is gone.' _

Naruto heard Kurama sigh, but much to his surprise it almost sounded sad.

"**If there's one thing my centuries of existence has taught me, it's that there is always a little more innocence left to lose. You will learn this the hard way Naruto. Don't say I didn't warn you." **

Naruto felt Kurama draw away from him, and he was left alone to ponder what the fox's words meant.

While Naruto was conversing with Kurama, Kakashi was walking towards his other student. After a minute of walking he found Sasuke standing in a small clearing going through his taijutsu katas, but it was obvious his mind wasn't in the right place. His usually graceful pose was sloppy, and his movements were clumsy.

"You want to talk to me about today don't you?" Sasuke said suddenly, sensing his teacher's presence. "To see if I'm still sane right?"

Kakashi shook his head. "I know you're sane, I just want to make sure you're alright. Continuing the mission when you're distracted or distraught can be a huge risk. I don't want you getting hurt or killed."

Sasuke kicked the ground which caused dirt and grass to fly into the air. "I'm just pissed off." The Uchiha growled. "I feel like shit, how the hell I can kill my brother when I freeze up and freak out about killing some random ninja!?" He yelled angrily, he was supposed to be an avenger, but at this rate he wouldn't be able to avenge anyone. "A Ninja is supposed to be confident and cold, instead I feel bad for the guy."

"It's good you feel that way, if you didn't feel any regret you wouldn't be human." Kakashi said, surprising the Uchiha. "I've killed hundreds of men and women throughout my career as a ninja. I have never enjoyed killing a single one, but I did so because it was necessary. The day you start to enjoy killing is the day you become a monster like your brother."

Sasuke wanted to punch his teacher for comparing him to his brother, but before he could try he remembered his brother's words.

_"__There is no value in killing the likes of you… My foolish brother… If you want to kill me… curse me! Hate me! And live a long and unsightly life… Run away… run away… and cling to your pitiful life. And then some day, when you have the same eyes as I do, come before me.__"_

Sasuke wanted to scream in anger but held it in._ 'I won't become like you Itachi, I refuse to become monster like you.' _He thought as he wrestled with the memory_. 'I'll become strong on my own terms, then I'll bring you to justice for all the atrocities you've committed.'_

Sasuke got his breathing under control and settled down. "You don't understand, I have to kill him, if I hesitate for even a second my clan will never be avenged,"

Kakashi did not want to have this conversation, but it seemed like it was inevitable. "Your brother needs to be brought to justice, but you can allow yourself to become a monster in your pursuit of vengeance. I've seen what happens to people who seek out vengeance, they are never satisfied and become empty shells."

Sasuke lost his temper. "And just what the hell would you know about it?!" He yelled. "What would you do if someone killed everyone you loved and made you feel true pain!?"

"Hmm that would make me angry, but unfortunately that wouldn't work." Responded Kakashi. "Because everyone that I have ever cared about or loved have already been killed." That statement surprised Sasuke, but what really surprised him was how cheerfully his teacher had said it.

"I think it's time I told you about my past."

The two got comfortable and Kakashi told Sasuke everything. He was a private person by nature but he felt it was something he had to do as a teacher. He told Sasuke about his father's death/suicide, and he told him about Obito, his sacrifice and death. He told Sasuke about how his teammate Rin had leapt in front of his attack, impaling herself and sacrificing her life for the sake of the village. He finished by telling Sasuke how the only two people he had left in his life, Minato and Kushina had died on the night of the Kyuubi while protecting their son.

"So you see, everyone I ever cared about has been taken from me." He said, wrapping up his story. "The two of us certainly aren't lucky, but we aren't exactly the worst off."

Sasuke had listen to his teacher's story in complete silence, soaking in his words. But the last part puzzled him. "What do you mean we aren't the worst off?"

"The two of us despite our harsh pasts and loss have still managed to find precious companions." Kakashi explained. "I know your stubbornness makes it hard to admit but both Naruto and Sakura are precious friends of yours. In time you'll see that you're at your strongest when using your power to protect those most precious to you."

Sasuke knew the man was right, his friendship and rivalry with Naruto is what made him push himself so hard. Even Sakura was pushing him to be stronger.

"You might be right but…I don't know." Sasuke muttered, he wanted to let go of his hatred but it was hard.

"I don't expect you to change overnight, just keep in mind what I said." Kakashi responded. "Also I lied earlier, not everyone I care about has been killed. You, Naruto, and Sakura are still alive after all."

Kakashi walked off and left Sasuke to consider his words.

XXXXXXX

"I should have expected failure from you, sending those two instead of going yourself is proof of your laziness and incompetence." Gato grumbled as he paced inside of the hut that his hireling called home. He was cut off from complaining further when a giant cleaver was suddenly pointed at him, inches from his throat.

"Quit your bitching!" Zabuza grumbled, the man was tall and muscular and towered over Gato. "The demon brothers were expendable fools, they allowed their skills to diminish by spending time killing merchants and other helpless weaklings. Next time I'll go personally and kill the target myself."

Gato backed away from the man. "Are you sure? My spies report that they have several skilled ninja bodyguards from Konoha. They'll also be more cautious after the demon brother's failure." Gato said, trying his best to find his bravery while staring Zabuza down.

"Tch, who do you think I am?" asked Zabuza "There's a reason they call me the Demon of the Hidden Mist."

XXXXXXX

Team 7 had recovered from heir ordeal and were once again traveling to Wave, they had just reached the southern coast of fire country and were waiting for a boat.

Kakashi looked at his students and was happy with how they were acting. Naruto and Sasuke were still a bit reserved but they were back to talking with each other and their eyes shone with a fierce determination. Sakura was doing her best to strike up conversation with her teammates and it seemed to be working. He only hoped his talk with them would stick.

While they waited Tazuna decided to fill them in on Wave Country and the enemy they would be facing there, a business man by the name of Gato.

"He's no ordinary business man." Tazuna began. "He's a shipping industrialist. Gato is one of the few truly wealthy people in this world who isn't linked by blood to a Daimyo. He controls all the shipping in the southern waters and has been making Wave his new headquarters."

"Why does he want Wave as a headquarters, aren't you just a simple country?" Sakura asked.

"It's because of the nature of our small country and its location." Explained Tazuna. "Our country is a large island surrounded by minor islands and mangroves. It's the only area along the entire southern coast for trade ships from the Land of Water to dock. We prospered for a long time with trade but Gato took over and now has a monopoly on the shipping industry. Controlling our island allows him to control all trade between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water."

That made sense but there was still something not right. "What about you're Daimyo? Can't you take your case to the local lords?"

Tazuna let out a sad sigh. "Wave is an independent island, and Gato has the backing of the Water Daimyo. The Daimyo believes Gato to be a simple businessman, but what he doesn't know is that Gato has been smuggling drugs and illegal weapons to Kirigakure. Essentially funding both sides of the civil war that has been fought there for years. From what I've heard the reason he's expanded to Wave is because the war came to an end, and he needs to find other ways to make money."

"Speaking of money and Wave, I wanted to bring that up with you Tazuna." Kakashi said as he pulled out a scroll. "This is a scroll which is a promise of payment for an A-rank mission, we are more than willing to help you but our village expects payment for this mission. You can pay it in installments but we will have our due." He handed the scrolls to Tazuna who simply nodded and signed his name at the bottom.

"I know it's not my place Tazuna, but you should consider joining the Land of Fire." Kakashi added. "When your bridge is completed you will have a direct link to the mainland of fire country. The Fire Daimyo would happily welcome you to our nation, trade would prosper, and as a member of the nation you could directly ask the Fire Daimyo for assistance. Which would mean having Konohagakure at your beck and call so nothing like this ever happens again."

The older man nodded. "I'll have to discuss it with the people, but I suppose it would be the best choice. But there's no point in getting ahead of ourselves. We still have a bridge to build."

After an hour of waiting a man appeared with a small boat. He ushered Tazuna and team 7 onto the small craft and they began their approach to the island.

It took several hours to reach the island since the oarsman couldn't use the engine, and had to take a stealthier route through mist and mangroves in order to reach Wave without being seen. The silence of the mist and eerie feeling that they were being watched was disconcerting.

"Does Gato really have that much influence here? We might be ninja's but can we really take on an army?" asked Sakura as she kept a lookout.

"He occasionally sends shakedown groups through the village to extort the local business, and he has a good deal of spy's." Tazuna explained in a serious tone. "He also has a small fleet of ships docked just off the coast. Over a hundred men in total."

That made Kakashi nervous, he was powerful but killing over a hundred men wasn't something he wanted to do. "If he has so many why doesn't he just take over the country in one swoop?" asked the Jounin as he analyzed the information he was being given.

"The man is paranoid, doesn't feel safe without an army guarding him. Besides letting that many men run loose in the village would stir things up. His men are better equipped but we outnumber him, if he attacked the village he would find a rebellion on his hands which would end in a bloodbath and cost him money, something he won't allow. He prefers to hire shinobi to do his dirty work since it doesn't interfere with his profits." Explained Tazuna.

Then group finally arrived on the shore of wave country. They arrived at a small shanty town that was abandoned, they bid goodbye to the oarsman and made their way inland.

Wave Country was beautiful. Full of mangroves, the smell of sea salt, and numerous trees. They made their way over to the town where Tazuna lives but soon found trouble.

Kakashi knew something was wrong when he heard the sound of something flying towards them. He was about to warn his students to get down but they were already springing into action.

"Doton: Doryuheki (Earth Release: Earth Style Wall)!" Sakura yelled as she channeled her chakra into the ground and summoned a large solid wall of earth up. A giant broadsword embedded itself deep into the wall, almost slicing entirely through it.

"Impressive, a simple genin being able to use an ability like that. You've trained these little brats well Kakashi." The group followed the sound of the voice and looked up at the sword embedded into the walls side and saw a man standing on top of its hilt. Kakashi recognized the man immediately.

"Well if it isn't Kiri's very own missing-nin Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of The Hidden Mist." Observed Kakashi as he looked at his opponent. He cursed his luck, his team was good but this guy was on another level. "Surround and protect the client, leave this one to me." Kakashi lifted up his forehead protector and revealed his sharingan eye.

Zabuza chuckled. "The sharingan right off the bat huh? I'm honored that you would take me seriously from the beginning." He said as he looked down at the group. "My job is to kill the old man, but I guess I gotta crawl over the bodies of you and your kids first." Zabuza grabbed his sword and disappeared from sight, and suddenly reappeared upon the water near the shoreline.

"Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidden Mist Technique)" Zabuza channeled chakra into the water around him and created a thick mist that shrouded the battlefield.

Team 7 formed a defensive circle around Tazuna as Kakashi prepared to fight Zabuza.

Suddenly Zabuza appeared in the middle of Team 7 and Tazuna. "It's over kids." He said as he swung his blade, the blade cleaved through the entire team, cutting everyone in half. However instead of blood erupting from them like it usually did for his victims they all dissolved into mud.

"Doton: Kage Bunshin (Earth Release: Shadow Clone)"

Suddenly numerous shadow clones appeared, each one made out of mud and ready to fight.

Zabuza looked behind the shadow clones and saw the enemy team with his target smiling smugly at him. Before he could do anything he felt a kunai at his throat. Clutching the kunai was Kakashi.

"It's over Zabuza." Kakashi said as he held the kunai closer to his enemy's throat.

Zabuza chuckled. "Nothing's over." He suddenly dissolved into water, revealing he was a water clone all along. Kakashi quickly turned around and was able to dodge a strong strike from Zabuza, whose broadsword missed the copy ninja by mere inches.

The two engaged of in brutal close quarters fighting. Zabuza had his brute strength while Kakashi had his speed and skill. Team 7 simply watched and protected their client while their sensei fought for his life.

Eventually the fight ended up near the shoreline. Zabuza swung his large sword at the copy ninja but it was nimbly dodged, and Kakashi delivered a vicious swipe at the mist ninja's face with a kunai. Zabuza managed to dodge but not before Kakashi left behind a vicious cut along the man's cheek.

The fight continued on like that for a long time. Kakashi dodging and counter attacking. While slowly leading Zabuza away from his team to make sure they didn't get caught up in the fight. Kakashi was holding his own until Zabuza surprised him with a roundhouse kick which threw the man into the water. Kakashi was about to get up but found himself imprisoned in a sphere of water while Zabuza chuckled.

"You're good Kakashi, no one has managed to survive fighting me in close quarters combat. You might've won if you had stayed away from the water's edge. Instead you took the fight here to distance me from your genin. A bad mistake on your part."

Under different circumstances Kakashi would have turned to his team and ordered them to retreat, but he knew what his team was capable of. "Don't underestimate my team, in a few years they'll be stronger than either of us." He declared proudly.

Naruto and Sasuke both advanced on Zabuza, proving Kakashi's point. Both of them held kunai in both their hands and were prepared for battle. Naruto and Sasuke threw a barrage of kunai at Zabuza, in hopes of making him release the water prison.

Zabuza had to suppress a laugh at the pitiful attack. He simply raised his Kubikiribocho in front of him, its thick blade covering the exposed parts of his body. What he didn't see was that each kunai had an explosive seal inscribed upon the blades. The second they came into contact with the sword they exploded and sent shrapnel everywhere. The attack didn't hurt Zabuza but he was sent flying back by the sheer force of the explosions, releasing his jutsu and Kakashi as a result.

"Fuck." Zabuza grunted as he stood himself up and faced off against Kakashi, he felt anger at being foiled by genin. "Haku, deal with those brats and the target while I deal with Kakashi."

Kakashi got up and shook off some of the water that had surrounded him as he got into a combat stance. He knew he couldn't lose focus again, trying to babysit his genin is what got him imprisoned in the first place. He had to trust that they could handle anything thrown at them.

Naruto and Sasuke returned to Sakura and Tazuna's side as they prepared for whatever came. They were put on edge when the air grew colder and they felt an unknown presence in the area. Suddenly they head the sound of projectiles coming for them. They only just managed to dodge several senbon needles that were thrown at them.

The group looked over to a nearby tree and saw a masked shinobi in a kimono gazing down at them, senbon needles in his hand. He grabbed a handful of needles and threw them at the team with deadly precision.

Naruto knew his team couldn't protect themselves in time so he flashed through several hand seals. "Futon: Uzu no Yoroi (Wind Release: Vortex Armor)!" He created a vortex of shredding winds around him and jumped in front of his team. The winds easily deflected the senbon, rendering the attacks useless.

"Impressive, but can you defend your friends from all angles?" A voice called out, suddenly the air in the area got noticeably colder.

"Makyo Hyosho (Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals)" Haku called out as he summoned forth a large amount of ice mirrors and surrounded the group. He was worried about his chakra reserves since he had never made so many mirrors for so large a group, but the more numerous the mirrors the more effective the technique was.

Suddenly Team 7 found themselves surrounded, and they saw a reflection of their enemy in each mirror.

Sakura realized they couldn't protect their client effectively with such a technique in play, so she decided to change things up a bit. She went through several hand seals and turned to Tazuna.

"Doton: Dorudomu (Earth Release: Earth Style Dome)" She summoned forth a large dome of earth around Tazuna, protecting him from every direction and ensuring his safety.

Haku was hidden in one of his mirrors and threw several senbon at the earth dome. They bounced off harmlessly, it was strong. "It's no matter, once I dispatch the three of you, the old man can be taken care of at my leisure." Haku threw a hail of senbon while jumping from mirror to mirror in hopes of confusing the group.

Team 7 dodged most of them. Sasuke used his sharingan and natural reflexes to dodge the attacks. Sakura used her grace and speed to dodge most of the sendon, several struck her in the shoulder but she easily pulled them out and healed the wounds with medical chakra. Naruto simply kept his vortex armor on while analyzing how the group would escape from the mirrors.

Sakura decided to answer that question.

"Doton: Kengan no Jutsu (Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique)!" She summoned forth earth from the ground around her fists and created giant stone gauntlets around her hands, reinforced with chakra.

"Shannaro!" Sakura yelled as she delivered a chakra enforced punch to one of the mirrors with her earth gauntlets. The mirror shattered into several pieces before falling to the ground, without even blinking Sakura turned to the next one and shattered it with another punch.

Sasuke and Naruto followed her example. Sasuke made several hand seals and prepared an attack. He knew fire would take too long to melt ice, but lighting would shatter anything so long as it was strong enough.

"Raiton: Ryurai no Jutsu (Lightning Release: Dragon Lightning Technique)!" Sasuke unleashed a large lighting dragon and directed it into several mirrors, shattering them upon contact.

Naruto didn't want to be outdone so he canceled his vortex armor and prepared his family's technique. "Kusari Seisei no Jutsu (Chain Generation Technique)!" A golden adamantine chain shot out of the palm of his hand and headed straight for the nearest mirror. It easily punched through the mirror as if it were cardboard. Naruto began to use the chain as a whip, swinging it into various mirrors and shattering them like they were made of thin glass.

Haku kept repairing and rebuilding mirrors but he found himself unable to retaliate, he had to stay on the defensive and leap from mirror to mirror to avoid being hit by one of their devastating attacks.

Meanwhile Kakashi and Zabuza were continuing their fight upon the water. Both were fairly evenly matched in melee combat so Zabuza decided to switch to ninjutsu. He began going through hand seals for a water jutsu but found Kakashi was copying him every step of the way.

"Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique)!" Both men yelled as they both summoned forth large water dragons that lunged at each other and caused a huge explosion of water. The area was shrouded with water from the combined attacks hitting each other. Zabuza used it as an advantage and charged at Kakashi.

'_There's no way I can beat him with ninjutsu, I have to beat him with my kenjutsu.'_ Zabuza thought as he charged through the water to reach his opponent, sword at the ready. He found Kakashi standing there, vulnerable. 'I have you now!' He thought as he swung his sword, it cleaved through Kakashi but rather than blood there was only an explosion of lightning. The electricity went up through his sword and into his body, which was only worsened since he was soaked with water.

"AUUUGHH!" Zabuza yelled as he felt every cell of his body receive a shock. "You bastard!"

"Raiton: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Lightening Release: Shadow Clone Technique)" Kakashi said as he appeared behind Zabuza. He had taken a page from Naruto's book and used a shadow clone that was booby trapped. Zabuza was stunned by the electricity so Kakashi threw several kunai and shuriken at his enemy. Zabuza took several direct hits.

Haku was frustrated, the enemy team was easily dispatching his mirrors and he could barely retaliate since repairing Ice mirrors would drain him of chakra. But he was broken from his focus when he heard his master scream out in pain. Ignoring the enemy and target Haku leapt from an Ice mirror and towards his master. He saw Zabuza take several hits from kunai and shuriken. Haku pulled out a senbon needle and prepared to save his masters life.

Kakashi was about to deliver the finishing blow to Zabuza with a kunai strike to the head. He was running low on chakra and exhausted but he needed to finish this. He prepared his kunai but was suddenly struck in the neck by a senbon needle, he fell into the water and promptly lost consciousness.

Haku was tempted to finish off the man but his merciful nature and need to protect his master came first. He grabbed Zabuza and quickly carried him out of the area and through the nearby mangrove trees, disappearing from sight.

Team 7 ran up to their teacher, it took them several seconds to completely break out of the ice prison they were in, which allowed Haku the time to escape with Zabuza. Sasuke and Sakura ran up to their teacher and dragged him to shore where Sakura began to analyze him.

"This is bad." mumbled Sakura as she channeled healing chakra to her hands and held it up to her teachers chest to diagnose him.

"He's not breathing." Sasuke said as he checked his teachers pulse, he found a pulse but his skin was as cold as ice. "He's also freezing."

Sakura checked her teacher's neck and sighed in relief when she saw the senbon needles didn't hit anything vital. "Its fine, he's just in a death-like state. I can use a stasis jutsu to keep him alive, but we need to get him to a proper bed and warmed up fast. He also seems to be suffering from chakra exhaustion, he's going to get sick no matter what we do at this point but I can lessen the intensity. We need to get to Tazuna's house now."

Naruto suddenly ran up to the two, he was soaked in water but in his hands he clutched Zabuza's Kubikiribocho, he had to use both hands to hold it and even then he was dragging it behind him. "He dropped it in the water, figure its best he never gets his hands back on this." Naruto said as he pulled out a sealing scroll and sealed the sword away.

"Good thinking." Sakura said as she finished her healing of her teacher. "You guys grab Kakashi-sensei, I'm going to get Tazuna out of the earth dome. We need to find Kakashi-sensei a warm bed."

Both boys grabbed Kakashi while Sakura released Tazuna and had him take them to his house. They needed to regroup and plan.

XXXXXXX

Tazuna brought them to a nice house where his daughter Tsunami gave them all rooms and helped them treat their teacher's wounds. Naruto, Sasuke, and Tazuna were all sitting around the dinner table, eating a simple meal of steamed fish and rice. Sakura came down from upstairs and filled them in on their teacher's progress.

"The good news is he'll live." Sakura said as she sat herself down at the table and began filling her plate. "The bad news is that he will be unconscious for about a week, and in no condition to fight for another week afterwards."

"That bad?" Sasuke asked, trying to get a good read on the situation.

Sakura nodded. "It is bad, but it could have been much worse. I managed to draw the water out of his lungs with my healing chakra. But the nerve damage he suffered combined with chakra exhaustion is too much. For the time being we are on our own."

"Well fuck." muttered Naruto, giving voice to what everyone was thinking. "If Gato makes a move now, or if Zabuza and his partner come after us we are screwed."

"It's hopeless, you're all going to die." Inari said from the corner.

"You best hope we don't, because if we go down you'll be joining us kid." Naruto responded, his patience had worn thin. The boy simply ran upstairs, leaving everyone else in peace.

Sasuke finished his meal and let out a sigh. "Waiting here for Gato to hire more missing-nin or for Zabuza to recover is suicide. It leaves us with only one option, we attack before the enemy can strike first."

Sakura shook her head. "We need more information first, we need to learn everything about Gato, his operations, manpower, and if we can summon any allies. If the man's so evil there must be a resistance of some sort. What do you know about all this Tazuna?" questioned Sakura, as she turned to the older man.

Tazuna let out a tired sigh. "Everyone hates Gato, he knows that a huge show of force would cause a rebellion so he mainly sends thugs to wander around and scare people. Like I said earlier most of his men are on ships, he runs a shipping empire from his personal Bune. A hundred men strong are on that ship and he has a small fleet of Kobaya that patrol the waters and escort his trade ships. There are a few groups who resist him and try to sabotage his shipments but they are a minor nuisance at best." He explained sadly.

"What the hell is a Bune and a Kobaya?" asked Naruto.

"You brats never heard of ships before?" asked Tazuna disbelievingly.

Sasuke shook his head. "We grew up near the center of Fire country, the most we ever saw were small ships designed to be paddled on a lake or trade ships designed for rivers." He explained.

Tazuna sighed and prepared his explanation. "Kobaya are small ships with very little armor, they are designed for maneuverability. They generally have a crew of about twenty and have ballistae that shoot exploding bolts. Gato's flagship is a Bune, it's a tall ship designed for troop transport. His is three stories tall not counting the lower decks, a literal floating fortress. They aren't maneuverable but they have thick armor. The one Gato has is modified into a palace from which he conducts his business empire."

"Wait a minute, if the Kobaya have ballistae that shoot explosive note covered bolts, why doesn't he simply use them to destroy the bridge?' Naruto asked.

Tazuna chuckled. "You saw the bridge yourself. It's enormous and I wasn't exaggerating when I said I was the best bridge builder in the world. He could have a fleet of those things and barely make a dent in it. Not to mention those ballistae are top of the line war machines, it costs a great deal of money to buy ammo for them. It's cheaper for him to hire assassins to kill me then buying an arsenal to destroy the bridge. Heck you'd probably need a battering ram made out of acid to put a dent in that thing."

Team 7 soaked in the information, trying desperately to form a plan.

"We have to kill Gato, with him dead Zabuza won't have any reason to come after us. Missing-nin fight for money so once his source of money is gone Zabuza will simply move on." stated Sakura as she tried to think up a strategy.

"I must ask that you don't kill Gato." Tazuna said sadly, drawing team sevens attention. "I wish nothing but pain and suffering on the man. But if he dies his men will run wild. They will pillage, burn, and rape my people. Gato knows dead people can't pay him tribute which is why he keeps us suppressed but alive, his men aren't that smart."

Naruto didn't like where this was going. "So we have to kill Gato, and the entire army of thugs he has at his command." muttered Naruto. "You're basically asking us to fight a war for you."

Tazuna nodded sadly. "I don't see any other way out of this situation. I take back everything I said about you kids. You're damn good, you protected me and saved your teachers life. If anyone has a chance at doing this it's you guys. If you can manage this I will do everything in my power to convince my people to join Fire country officially, and pay you handsomely."

"With what?" asked Sasuke. "Your country is not in a good way, you'll need all the money you have just to recover economically."

Tazuna suddenly had an idea. "Gato's ship is full of his ill-gotten riches, if you can secure his ship I'll have enough money to pay you for your services, and it will help rebuild Wave's economy."

Sakura let out a frustrated sigh. "So we also have to find a way to capture the Bune intact. This just keeps getting better." She muttered.

"You kids get some rest first. You've fought long and hard. To be honest you guys don't look much better than your teacher." Tsunami said as she cleaned up the mess left from dinner.

"Indeed, you should sleep." Added Tazuna. "I'll have Inari summon a few guys I know who might be able to help you. Guys who are actively spying on Gato and know the layout of the docks where his ships are docked. Go get some sleep."

They realized that Tsunami and Tazuna were right and that they wouldn't be able to accomplish anything when they were so tired. Naruto created several shadow clones to scout the surrounding area and he had several mud clones stand guard around the house and set up perimeter seals and traps.

With the area secure the three ninja decided to rest in the same room where their teacher was recovering to watch over him. Sakura checked over Kakashi's wounds one more time before all three drifted off into a deep sleep.

XXXXXXX

Gato trudged through the forest, he had about thirty bodyguards with him but he still felt ill at ease. It was night and anything could happen, he always felt more secure when he was on his ship. But he had to deal with Zabuza and his numerous failures personally.

He and his men trudged through the cold, damp forest and walked up to a small solitary hut that Zabuza was using as his base of operations. He and his two most trusted bodyguards walked in, while the rest of his men surrounded the area. His bodyguards were Zori, and Waraji. Two disgraced samurai from the land of iron. They were Ronin but his most trusted men, they entered first and made sure the place was safe. He followed them into the hut and found Zabuza lying in bed and his personal girly bodyguard nursing his own wounds.

"So you two come back defeated, I guess ninja from the Hidden Mist aren't that strong after all." Gato said as he strut into the room confidently, his two bodyguards flanking him. "My spy's report that your opponents were an older man and three children, and yet the supposed 'Devil of the Hidden Mist' couldn't even kill them."

Zabuza was silent, which made Gato angry. The businessman walked up to the swordsman's side and was about to shake him to see if he was awake but Haku grabbed the businessman's hand and used his strength to crush the man's wrist.

"Don't you dare lay a single finger on Zabuza-sama." Haku growled as he pushed the older man away. Gato's two samurai bodyguards were about to draw their swords to retaliate but Haku threw two senbon needles at them. The needles impacted their shoulders, disabling their sword arms.

"You little shit!" yelled Gato as he nursed his wrist. "You two had better finish the job you were given, or you won't get paid!" He yelled as he backed out of the hut with his two bodyguards.

After Gato left a peaceful silence reigned over the hut.

"You didn't have to do that Haku." Grumbled Zabuza as he lifted an arm from under the covers of his bed sheets. Revealing he had a kunai clutched in his hand.

Haku nodded. "True, but if you had killed Gato it would have caused a commotion, we must be patient." Haku explained happily as he examined his master's wounds.

Zabuza grunted and sat up. "It'll be a while before we can get the job done, my wounds haven't healed and I don't have my sword." He said angrily, without his sword he felt naked and vulnerable.

Haku nodded.

"We will be ready to move in one week. We will complete this job and retrieve your sword."

XXXXXXX

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were troubled. Their sensei was out of commission and the only way they could see the mission succeeding with all of them alive was to basically take out a small army of thugs and mercenaries.

Tazuna had summoned a man by the name of Hiro, a middle aged burly dockworker who was the closest thing to a resistance leader Wave had.

"You kids don't look like much but if Tazuna says you can handle this I'll take his word for it." Hiro said as he looked over team 7. "Ever since you guys arrived in the village Gato has pulled back all his men onto his ships and they are on constant watch. He is paranoid and dangerous, his Kobaya's shoot any ship that gets close to his fleet so sneaking on will almost be impossible."

That information was terrible news to team 7.

"Damn, I thought we could use a henge to sneak on board, but if he pulled all his mercenaries on to his ship it won't work. We have to water walk all the way to the ships." Sakura said as she reworked the plan.

Hiro nodded. "It'll be a suicide mission during the day, but sneaking on board at night might work. His mercenaries are undisciplined bunch, but they are numerous. I'd recommend you killing them as they sleep. Visibility is low at night so you might have a chance."

Sasuke nodded. "We should attack tonight. It would be best if we first take out Gato and his ship first, if we attack the patrol ships it will allow Gato to prepare himself and possibly escape."

With the plan decided on the group began preparing. Hiro promised to lead a small ship full of sailors to take over the Bune once Team 7 killed the mercenaries.

Team seven spent most of the day getting their gear ready and preparing themselves for the battle ahead. Naruto created as many explosive kunai, and poison gas kunai as he could with his sealing abilities. While Sasuke and Sakura focused on getting their gear ready.

All of them changed their outfits to pure black ones so that they could better blend in with the darkness. Naruto and Sasuke simply removed the bright parts of their outfits while Sakura had to switch a black kunoichi dress she always had packed for missions like this.

Naruto sent out several shadow clones earlier in the evening and they brought back good news. While Gato had many men at his disposal, they were mostly mercenaries. Or rather thugs pretending to be badass mercenaries, they had little skill but Gato had given them pretty decent weapons and some of the stronger ones even got armor. Luckily none of them knew anything about the ninja arts or were even professional soldiers. But it didn't matter much since they had numbers.

Evening came and team 7 ate a hearty meal at Tsunami's house as they prepared to move out. But before they could leave Naruto was interrupted by a certain someone.

"**Going to kill some people eh?"** Kurama questioned**. "Looks like you're going to perpetuate the cycle of hatred that the shinobi world is known for, just like I said you would all those years ago." **

Naruto turned to his teammates. "I need to have a word with Kurama before we leave, please give me a minute." His teammates nodded and waited patiently by the front door of the house while Naruto got into a meditative trance and entered his inner world.

XXXXXXX

Naruto found himself standing in the middle of a large canyon, one of Kurama's favorite locations. He found the fox sitting comfortably and looking smug.

"**So the little shinobi is all grown up and ready to start killing. Almost makes me proud."** He said condescendingly.

"I don't have time to deal with your riddles, just say what you want to say. I have a mission to get to." Naruto declared angrily, he wasn't in the mood for the foxes mind games. He was under enough stress from the mission.

"**It's like I told you, you are becoming a part of this worlds cycle of hatred. You will kill these men and an ally of the Water Daimyo. The Daimyo might retaliate against Konoha, which could escalate into a war."** Explained Kurama. **"I've seen this happen numerous times before Naruto, you believe your protecting these people but all you doing is dooming numerous others." **

Naruto wasn't fazed. "You don't know what will happen, and all I'm doing is saving the people of Wave from Gato's reign of terror. Those mercenaries who stand up for the man are harming innocents."

Kurama chuckled. **"Those mercenaries need money so they sell their swords and fight for a criminal. Shinobi do the same thing but instead of an individual they fight for a country."**

"It's not the same!"

"**Yes it is. Those men you are about to kill might have been led into the criminal life for the sake of their families. Perhaps they need the money to help loved ones, or they were desperate and saw no other employment opportunities. They have families, friends, and loved ones. Are you really ready to kill?"** Kurama asked, delighting in his Jinchuriki's internal struggle. **"Think about your life thus far, all the places you've been, the people you've met. So many moments, and so many memories. The men you are about to kill have just as many, and when you kill them they will have none. When you kill someone you kill who they are and everything they could possibly become."**

Naruto was getting upset. "Since when do you care about the lives of others? You've killed thousands over your life span."

"**Hundreds of thousands."** Corrected Kurama smugly**. "I don't care about their insignificant little lives, but I know you do. I'm just making you aware of what you're doing. By killing them you will create ripples that could become a tidal wave of war. You need to learn that there**** is no single path through life that's right and fair and does no harm. There are no heroes in this cursed world, only villains who call themselves heroes." **

"Like I told you before, I'll stop the cycle of war. Once I become Hokage I know I can change things. Ill make a better world, where missions like this aren't necessary." He declared.

Kurama laughed at Naruto's ignorance**. "A world like the one that your little book about the gutsy ninja describes? You speak of a world of peace and understanding. I suppose we should also live forever on castles in the sky being waited on by angels as well?"** he asked sarcastically**. "You wield your blade like a man, but your mouth like a child. You speak of peace and ending war yet you've never seen war for yourself. An innocent little boy like you can change nothing, and even now you aren't sure of what to do." **Kurama saw Naruto staring at the ground so he decided to push on. **"This world is a meat grinder, and ninja like you are the ones who turn the crank." **

Kurama wanted to continue but several giant golden chains shot out of the ground and wrapped themselves around him, immobilizing him. **"What is this?"** He asked as he struggled against the chains.

"You said it yourself Kurama." Began Naruto. "I can manipulate this place freely so that I can fight you on equal ground, it's not to give you comfort." The second those words left his lips the beautiful canyon they were once standing in turned into a sewer. "So as long as you're just lying there you might as well listen to what I have to say."

Naruto walked up to the immobilized Kitsune and stood right before the creature's giant red eye. Even after all these years the fox's eye was still bigger than his entire body.

"You are right." Said Naruto, shocking the fox.

"I am a child, and I have no idea what it is I'm supposed to do right now." He admitted. "I only know what I can do. I can save Wave Country from a tyrant, I can help them and save their livelihoods. Maybe my actions will cause greater conflict, perhaps even war. The truth is that I don't know what will happen." Naruto looked up into Kurama's eye, determination etched upon his face. "But I refuse to give into despair the way you have. I won't let fear of the unknown paralyze me into inaction, I will make my choices and stick with them."

"**Even if it means continuing the cycle of hatred that has gripped this world?"**

"I'll break that cycle. If there's such thing as peace, I will find it. I won't give up!" Naruto declared. "Right now there's an entire country suffering because of a group of criminals, I'll alleviate their suffering any way I can, even if it means staining my hands with blood. And if my actions cause pain and hatred within others I'll shoulder that hatred, I will shoulder this entire world's hatred if that's what it takes!"

Kurama silently looked into his containers eyes and saw complete determination. The child wasn't backing down. **"I have seen many like you in the past Naruto, people willing to take the hatred of the world onto themselves. Revolutionaries who wanted peace. They all failed."** He said sadly, remembering the Sage of the Six paths. **"They were either killed by their enemies or betrayed by the very people they were trying to save, what makes you any different from them?" **

Naruto smiled. "They didn't fail, the Sage of the Six Paths was born in an era of endless war. There are still wars today but they are infrequent. The fact that I've been born into an era of peace is proof of that." He said, shocking the fox. "You believe that this world is irredeemable, but I'll fix that dim outlook of yours someday and I'll do something about all that hatred you carry inside of you."

Kurama struggled against his chains**. "As if a baby like you can do anything like that. My hatred is like an ancient gnarled root, it has buried itself into my very soul. A child like you can't do anything about it." **

"It's worth a shot. Even if it takes my entire life, I'll find a way to free you from your hatred." He promised. "And you're not a mass of malevolence and anger or the monster you try to portray yourself as. You're one of my precious people and a comrade…you are my friend. Whether you like it or not." Naruto snapped his fingers and the chains that held Kurama down disappeared, and the scenery changed back to a giant canyon.

"I'll talk to you later, assuming the mission is successful and I'm still alive in the morning."

Kurama could only watch as Naruto left, for the first time in ages he didn't know what to say.

XXXXXXXX

Naruto found himself staring at his teammates once again.

"Alright guys, let's go."

Naruto created a small army of shadow clones of various types to defend Tazuna and his family while they were gone. He also rigged the house with numerous traps and seals that would activate if an enemy entered the area.

Once the area was secured the three young ninja's moved out. As they traveled through the village they saw why the land of waves was truly a terrible place to live. Once they reached the main town where a majority of the country's population lived they realized why Tazuna tried to con them with a C-rank mission.

The local economy was a mess, and vendors had little to no stock. People were begging in the streets and poverty was everywhere. If it wasn't for the fact that the ocean surrounding the island was so rich in fish people would probably be starving as well.

Eventually Team seven found the meeting point, a small lighthouse that overlooked the docks. They climbed up the lighthouse with wall walking and reached the top, they found Hiro and several men waiting for them.

"Good you made it." The older man said as he pointed towards the docks. "Right out beyond the docks Gato and his ships are anchored in the harbor.

Looking out into the harbor they could see the ships off in the distance, numerous lanterns and searchlights were glowing over the water as the smaller patrol ships scouted the area.

"Wait until midnight, most of the guards are lazy by that time and won't be searching as intensely. If you actually manage to succeed signal us with this flare. I'll bring in a group of sailors and assume control of Gato's flagship." Hiro handed Naruto a flare before wishing them luck and leaving the young Ninja to do their work.

Team 7 waited for several hours, all of them sitting on the lighthouse and watching the ships in the harbor. The mood was somber, either they would succeed or they would die. There was no other way around it.

"I can't believe I'm risking my life and my clan's future for this country." Sasuke grumbled as he looked at the town from his vantage point. From a distance the lights made Wave look beautiful, even though he knew closer up it was a large slum.

Naruto chuckled at the Uchiha's words. "I know what you mean, but you gotta admit that there are worse causes to die for. It's all rather heroic when you think about it."

Sakura let out a sigh. "Don't say such depressing things, all this talk about death is making me think about what the afterlife is like." She muttered, annoyed that her teammates were being so dower.

Naruto stood up. "Alright enough depressing thoughts, we are going to win this battle and we will be hailed as great heroes." Naruto said confidently. "We are ninja's of Konoha, we do jobs like this so innocent people can sleep peacefully at night without fearing death. We stain our hands with blood so that the innocent don't have to. We live in darkness so that others can bask in the light."

Sasuke chuckled. "You stole that speech from that Princess Fuun movie we watched last year."

Naruto glared at his friend. "Just because I didn't come up with it doesn't make it any less true." He crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly. "Now the mood is ruined, no more inspirational speeches for you guys ever again."

Sakura and Sasuke shared a chuckle before falling back into a comfortable silence. They spent the rest of the early evening waiting for midnight. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting midnight arrived and the world was shrouded in the night's darkness.

"Let's go." Naruto said as the three of them jumped from the top of the lighthouse and landed graceful on the docks below. They traveled through the docks until they reached the water's edge. The three began to sprint across the ocean's surface, clinging to the darkest parts of the water. Eventually their water walking allowed them to reach the first patrol ship.

Naruto pulled out a several notes with seals inscribed on them and handed each of his teammates several of them. They planted the seals around the perimeter of the ship, trying their best to not make any noise. Luckily the crew was either asleep or lazy and they were able to plant several around the ship's hull. The seals were incendiary seals, explosive seals packed with elemental fire.

The plan was to plant them on each and every single patrol ship. Once they were all rigged the team would move on to the Gato's ship. Once Gato's ship was cleared they would activate several trigger seals to blow the patrol ships up, clearing the way for Hiro and his sailor's.

Once they finished they moved on to the next one and it went on like that for twenty minutes. It was fairly easy to dodge the searchlights. The night was dark and the patrols were looking out for other ships, not a bunch of ninja's who were literally running across the ocean's surface.

Once they finished planting explosive tags on each of the patrol boats they ran up to the main ship. Gato's ship was a fortress on the ocean, tall, thick, and imposing. But thanks to their tree climbing exercises they were able to easily run up the ships side and reach the top deck.

Luckily there were no patrols in sight, they made their way to the back where the captain's quarters were. They saw two men armed with swords guarding a door, it was Gato's private quarters.

Naruto reached into his side pouch and pulled out two shuriken. He threw them both at the same time and watched as each one nailed a guard in the throat. The guards fell to the ground and died as blood poured out of their necks. Team 7 ignored them, there could be no hesitation or choking up right now.

Sasuke opened the door to the main cabin and all three of them entered. They found luxurious living quarters that looked like they belonged to a feudal lord. The room was lavish, there were lovely hand carved wooden sculptures, silk curtains, and every inch of the floor was covered in fine rugs.

In the corner of the room they saw Gato, busily doing paperwork and calculating his profits. Without even flinching Naruto pulled out a kunai and threw it at the man. The kunai impacted with the back of the business moguls head and penetrating his brain. Blood gushed from the man's head as he fell from his desk and onto the floor.

He died instantly.

Immediately Naruto and Sasuke began rifling through his files while Sakura kept watch outside the door. Eventually Naruto found what he was looking for, proof that Gato had betrayed the Water Daimyo by selling weapons to both sides during the Hidden Mists civil war. With this evidence he could make the Water Daimyo see the truth about Gato, and hopefully avoid any repercussions leaf might have for the business mogul's downfall.

Sakura cursed her luck when a dozen of Gato's mercenaries rounded the corner and saw the bodies of the guards they had slain.

"Fuck, raise the alarm! The damn ninja's got on board!" One of the men screamed. Most of them drew their weapons and charged at her while one of them broke off and ran for the alarm bell.

Sakura reacted instantly, she threw a barrage of shuriken at the mercenaries, killing several and wounding others. She ignored her actions, she was running on pure adrenaline. She charged at them and activated her chakra scalpels.

'_I can't stop to think about killing now, if I hesitate I will die and my team will also suffer.'_ She thought as she engaged the enemy's in melee combat.

One of the mercenaries lunged at her with a katana, she simply side stepped the blade and slit the thug's throat with her chakra scalpel. Another mercenary tried to attack her from behind but she nimbly spun around and deflected the man's sword with one of her glowing hands. She brought up her right hand and delivered a killing blow to the man's heart.

There were only two left now, they were cowards and ran as soon as they saw their allies fall. Sakura pulled out two kunai and threw them after the fleeing men. Each kunai impacted with the back of their heads, causing them to fall face forward onto the ship's deck.

With most of the patrol dead she ran after the man who was trying to raise the alarm. She channeled chakra into her legs and chased after him as he ran to the back of the ship where a giant alarm bell was located. He reached the bell and grabbed onto the bells chord.

Sakura pulled out a kunai and threw it at the mercenary. It nailed him in the back, but he managed to ring the bell several times before another of Sakura's kunai ended him.

Both Naruto and Sasuke ran out onto the ships main deck to find out what all the commotion was about. When they saw the dead bodies and heard the sound of the ships alarm going off they knew their cover was blown.

Naruto pulled out several seals from his pocket. They were trigger seals linked up to all the explosive tags they rigged to the patrol ships around the harbor. He channeled his chakra into the trigger seals and the results were immediate.

All around the harbor every single one of Gato's patrol ships exploded. The incendiary seals lit up and let out a fiery explosion that coated the ships in fire. The crews were burnt alive as the ships burnt to ash and began to sink. That would ensure the patrol ships didn't fire on them or bring any backup to help the enemy.

Naruto and Sasuke joined Sakura in the middle of the ships main deck. The sound of footsteps and men yelling was everywhere. Hordes of mercenaries began to pile up on deck, and soon the trio was completely surrounded.

The mercenaries let out a battle cry as they charged at the trio. Realizing that all attempts at stealth had failed the group became serious.

Even with all their skills Team 7 knew they couldn't take on this many in melee combat, numbers would easily overwhelm them. There were at least thirty enemies on deck, with more streaming in every second from various areas of the ship.

So the trio of ninja's channeled chakra into their legs and leapt into the air. While in the air both Naruto and Sasuke began to form hand seals.

"Futon: Renkudan (Wind Release: Drilling Air bullet)!" Naruto unleashed a powerful air bullet aimed at the mercenaries below him. The air bullet shredded several of the enemies who got caught in its direct line of fire while it sent numerous others flying all across the ship's deck. Some men were even flung off the side of the ship and into the dark waters of the harbor.

"Raiton: Ryurai no Jutsu (Lightning Release: Dragon Lightning Technique)!" Sasuke unleashed a large lighting dragon from his right hand and directed it towards a large group of men coming up the main stairwell. The dragon ran them through, electrocuting them with powerful lighting and killing most of them instantly.

Sakura didn't have any combat jutsu so she simply pulled out the remaining shuriken she had and threw them at various enemies that were left behind after her teammate's attacks. The shuriken hit their marks, killing the few men who were left after her teammates combined ninjutsu assault.

The three of them landed on the main deck, they now had some breathing room. Another group of enemies ran up to them. There were at least a dozen of them and they were most likely Gato's elite guardsman, they were wearing thick plate armor that had no visible weak points. Seeing that they would be immune to most techniques Naruto decided to get rid of them in the most efficient way.

"Suiton: Mizurappa (Water Release: Wild Water Wave)!" Naruto shot out a large stream of water from his mouth, the water struck the enemies hard and flung them off the side of the ship, where their armor dragged them beneath the harbors waters and to their deaths.

Knwoing that more enemies were coming Naruto decided to make sure they couldn't be surrounded as easily as before. Naruto created several dozen shadow clones, while they did burst with one hit they would keep the mercenaries from out maneuvering his team.

The sound of projectiles filled the air. Across the deck several mercenaries were armed with bows and crossbows, they fired a volley of arrows at the team, most of which the team was able to dodge.

Sasuke took a crossbow bolt to his leg, while Naruto got hit in his shoulder.

Naruto pulled the arrow out of his shoulder and formed several hand seals.

"Futon: Uzu no Yoroi (Wind Release: Vortex Armor)!" He yelled as he activated his wind armor. He saw the bowmen readying another volley and jumped in front of his teammates. Sasuke was on his knees nursing his injured leg, while Sakura removed the crossbow bolt and channeled healing chakra into the wound.

Several of Naruto's shadow clones tried to reach the archers but most of them were busy keeping mercenaries busy with melee combat. It would be up to Naruto to deal with them personally.

The next volley of arrows were loosed and were blocked by the vortex armor which threw the arrows out of the way. Naruto saw other mercenaries come out on deck and form a protective line in front of the archers. Naruto knew he had to buy his teammates time so he charged directly at the mercenaries.

He ran right into the thick of them while channeling as much chakra as he could into his vortex armor. The swirling and cutting winds cut deep into the flesh and armor of the mercenaries and sent them flying off deck with grievous wounds.

Some tried to stab, and spear the blonde through his wind armor but the winds simply cut or crushed any weapon that entered the swirling vortex. Naruto ran through the group and delivered wind coated punches and kicks that sheared the flesh of anyone that they came into contact with. He focused on the archers and soon the deck was stained with their blood as his wind technique tore their flesh.

Sadly not every weapon could be deflected, one mercenary armed with a metal Yari used all his strength to shove it directly at Naruto's chest. The spinning winds of the vortex shoved the Yari off course but it still managed to pierce the winds and hit Naruto in his left side. The spear shoved its way in and Naruto let out yell of pain and frustration.

His lack of focus caused the vortex armor to dispel and two other mercenaries that had survived the blonde's earlier melee charged in and stabbed the boy. One of the shoved a sword through the blondes chest, and another rammed a spear through his shoulder blade.

Naruto was sure he was done for, but suddenly a large pulse of red chakra shot out from his body. The pulse was powerful and flung the men who had stabbed him over the edge of the ship and into the dark waters below.

'_Kurama?'_

"**Just keep fighting you brat. I have no intention of allowing my container to be killed by a bunch of bandits and mercenaries. I would die of embarrassment." **

'_Thank you, your'e a real good friend.'_

"**Don't thank me, it creeps me out."**

Focusing back in on the fight Naruto formed a ram seal.

"Kage Bunshin no jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)" Naruto created thirty shadow clones and sent them to engage the rest of the enemy mercenaries. While the mercenaries were fighting the clones Naruto pulled the spear out of his side and winced as blood dripped out of the open wound. He did the same for the other two weapons. He was about to call for Sakura to heal him when the wounds were suddenly surrounded by red chakra and sealed themselves up.

"**Be thankful they didn't hit anything vital." **

Sasuke and Sakura soon joined their blonde teammate. Sasuke's wound was closed which allowed him decent mobility. Another group of armored mercenaries ran up the ships main stairwell and joined the battle on deck.

Sasuke charged at the group, a kunai clutched in each hand and engaged them in melee combat. His taijutsu was far better than their brawling tactics and he was easily able to overpower them. His sharingan also ensured that he could keep track of his opponents and out-maneuver them.

He dodged a slow attack by a burly mercenary and delivered a quick slash to the mercenary's throat, blood spurted from the wound and the man fell to the ground. He dodged another strike from behind and stabbed his kunai into the weak spot of the man's armor, just above the armpit. The enemy mercenary screamed in pain before Sasuke silenced him with another kunai that went straight through his eye and into the brain.

Seeing another group charging at them Sasuke began to form hand seals.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)" Sasuke unleashed the largest fireball he could manage and cooked the enemy mercenaries in their own armor. Seeing another group advance he decided began preparing other fire jutsu.

Sakura kept to her strategy of using chakra scalpels, they could easily cut through the cheap weapons the mercenaries were using and they allowed her to move through the battle gracefully. She easily dodged the clumsy attacks of her opponents and gracefully cut their weak points. Using her scalpels she slit throats, cut artery's, and even sliced through her opponents hearts.

There were several times where Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were almost killed by an arrow or a mercenary sneaking up on them to attack their blind spot. But luckily Naruto's shadow clones would either take the hit or kill the enemy before they could complete their attack.

The battle lasted several more minutes but tot he team it felt like hours. The three preteens drew on every bit iof strength they had and expelled almost all of their chakra before the battle was finally won.

Team 7 stood in the middle of the carnage, each of them breathing heavily, covered in cuts, blood, bruises, and even a few wounds.

Naruto summoned a dozen more shadow clones and ordered them to scour the rest of the ship for any surviving mercenaries. After several minutes the clones came back and reported that the few survivors had jumped overboard, the entire ship was clear of enemies.

Team 7 walked up to the highest part of the ship. Naruto pulled out the flare from his pouch and lit it. A bright green fire erupted from the flares end and Naruto held it up as high as he could. After several minutes he several small boats approaching the ship, he saw Hiro and numerous sailors paddling the boats towards Gato's former flagship.

The next few hours were rather eventful. Seeing the death of Gato and destruction of his fleet and mercenary forces sent a message to all of the people of The Land of Waves.

They were free.

News spread like wildfire that Gato was dead. People took up arms to drive out the few remaining Gato loyalist's. Every single citizen of Wave was rejoicing and joining in the fight. By dawn the few survivors of Gato's organization were either imprisoned or had gotten on boats and fled the country.

Team 7 ignored the congratulations or the cheering of others. Once Gato's flagship was secure and all of the former businessman's documents were in their possession the team considered the mission complete.

XXXXXXX

Several hours later Team 7 found themselves on top of a hill overlooking Wave Country. They could see the primary town, dock, and the harbor from the top of the hill. All three were sitting down on the ground watching the sun rise above the oceans edge.

"It's beautiful." Naruto said as he gazed at the sunrise.

"It really is." Responded Sakura as she gazed into the distance.

"Hn."

"You can still hear them celebrating." Said Naruto as he listened to the cheers and sounds of music coming from the town. Ever since the sun began to rise people had been celebrating non-stop. The group was tempted to join them but after the nights events they needed some peace.

Sasuke shook his head. "Tch, it's not like they had to do anything hard." He grumbled, he noticed Sakura was staring off into the distance. "Sakura are you okay? I know tonight was your first time killing, if you need to talk…"

Sakura was surprised by Sasuke's words. Under different circumstances she would assume he was hitting on her, but she knew he was just concerned as a friend. "I'm fine, it's tough but I know it had to be done. I saw the look in the eyes of those mercenaries. If I didn't kill them they would have killed me….or worse…" She trailed off, trying not to think about what else they might have done to her.

Naruto decided to offer his support. "Don't worry Sakura-chan, as long as we're a team we will always watch each other's backs." He said, drawing the girl out of her depression.

"Thanks guys." She said as she stretched out on the hills grassy top. Her teammates followed her example and simply laid down to relax.

"It feels like forever since I was able to just…sit down." Naruto said as he relaxed. "Seems like ever since we left the village it's been on calamity after another."

"True, but things turned out okay." Sasuke let out a tired sigh. "All we had to do to save an entire country was take out a mercenary company, kill a rich business man, and secure a ship holding most of the country's wealth. And we did it all before breakfast." The Uchiha said in a tired voice.

All three of their stomachs let out a simultaneous growl.

"Please don't mention breakfast." grumbled Sakura weakly, after the nights events she was starving.

Seeing his teammate's plight Naruto pulled out a storage scroll and unsealed its contents in front of his teammates, a plethora of different types of instant ramen suddenly appeared in front of them. "Been saving them since we left, so let's dig in." declared Naruto happily as he picked up a miso ramen.

Sasuke chuckled. "That's great dobe, except we don't have any hot water. I don't know about you guys but I don't feel like fetching fresh water or gathering the firewood to heat it up."

Naruto started to laugh at Sasuke. "Sasuke this doesn't need hot water, through endless hours of practice and experimentation in Fuuinjutsu I have created a cup of ramen that cooks itself." Explained Naruto, drawing his teammate's attention. On the side of the cup they saw a seal was attached to the ramen cup. "This is a two part seal, the first part is a storage seal that releases water into the cup, the second part of the seal stores heat and heats up the water instantly. Observe."

Naruto channeled chakra into the cup of ramen and removed the lid of the ramen cup. Immediately steam escaped and revealed a perfectly cooked cup of ramen. "This is the pinnacle of all Fuuinjutsu, and the greatest advance in technology in the history of all the elemental nations. I give you the future!" declared Naruto as he held up his ramen cup proudly.

Sakura fell over laughing, and even Sasuke let out a chuckle at his teammate's antics.

Naruto scratched his head in confusion. "What's so funny?" He asked, genuinely perplexed.

"You are." Sasuke said, holding back his amusement. "You literally spent countless hours' creating a cup of ramen that cooks itself."

Sakura settled down and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Only you would be so dramatic about a cup of ramen." She said. "You are just something else Naruto, don't ever change. Only you could make me laugh after a night like last night."

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest. "Pfft whatever. Just grab a cup and channel a bit of chakra into it, the seal will do the rest."

Sasuke and Sakura followed their teammate's example. Sasuke took a beef ramen while Sakura took a shrimp ramen. After channeling chakra into the cups their meals were ready instantly. Soon all three of them were eating heartily.

Soon they were going through cups like tissue paper. Naruto had eaten six cups, Sasuke ate four, while Sakura finished up her third cup.

"I thought you guys didn't like ramen." Joked Naruto as he watched his teammates continue eating.

"Hunger is the best spice." grunted Sasuke as he ate another cup of ramen.

Sakura giggled at her crushes words. "It really is, not everyone loves ramen like you do Naruto."

"You guys don't know what you're missing. Ramen is the food of heaven, it's warm and filling. It's divine." He said as he shoved more noodles into his mouth.

"Jeez dobe, you make it sound like you're part of a ramen religious group or something." Said Sasuke.

"It's more of a cult really, but I have plans for aggressive brainwashing." Responded Naruto, as he got up and struck a heroic pose. "I am Uzumaki Naruto, patron saint of ramen and leader of the church of ramen. Ramen is my God, and I am the human instrument of its will!"

Naruto knew he was acting like a fool, but it was worth it when he saw his friends smile and laugh at him. After such a hellish mission he wanted to see them smile._ 'Although now that I think about it, a church of ramen does sound pretty good.' _He thought as he pondered a possible future for such a church.

Sasuke simply chuckled at Naruto's words while Sakura laughed out loud.

Each of them were suffering from the stress and trauma of the mission they just accomplished. But for the moment they could forget about the troubles of the world, and simply laugh and act like kids.

XXXXXXX

**1 week later**

Kakashi was upset.

He was upset at his students for taking such a huge risk and attacking a small army of mercenaries and endangering their lives in such a reckless way. But he was more upset with himself for being unconscious for an entire week.

He was proud of his students, they came together and accomplished what should have been impossible for a genin team. He received a report from Tazuna, apparently there were 148 people dead. 83 of those were personally killed by his team while the rest were men stationed on the patrol ships that Naruto destroyed with his incendiary notes.

He was worried about his student's mental states after such a traumatic event but found them to be fine. They were more subdued then usual but otherwise they seemed to have overcome their grief by supporting each other. He took the time to pull each of them aside to have private chats with them to make sure they were okay, from his analysis and years of reading people he could tell they were fine, but he made a mental note to have a professional psychiatrist to analyze them when they got back to the village. Thankfully those types of doctors were always available to help ninja's who went on stressful missions.

He couldn't deny the results of his student's actions. The land of Waves was a much better place with Gato gone. Trade ships now came and went freely without fear of Gato and his tariffs, people celebrated in the streets, and everyday numerous admirers came out of the woodworks to congratulate and offer endless thanks to Team 7 for their elimination of Gato and liberation of their country.

The Wave village council were also impressed with fire country ninja thanks to his team's actions. They had sent word the capital and the Fire Daimyo requesting that they become an official part of Fire country in exchange for constant protection from the Fire Lord. Such an act would only further raise Konoha's reputation and status amongst the rest of the elemental nations.

Zabuza and his ally also seemed to have disappeared. No doubt they had fled the country when they realized their paycheck was dead. He was personally glad that they were gone.

Right now he was standing in front of the now finished bridge. The job was accomplished in record time thanks to Naruto creating hundreds of shadow clones each day which helped immensely with the labor. Combined with all of the country pitching in to help Tazuna since they no longer had to fear Gato.

It would still be a few days until they could leave, Tazuna still had to put a few finishing touches on the bridge, and Kakashi still needed to finish healing. His chakra exhaustion had passed but he still had some trouble walking thanks to the nerve damage he received from the senbon to the neck.

"This mission went extremely well all things considered." Kakashi said to himself as he sat down on a bench on the bridge.

XXXXXXX

Zabuza was angry.

The news of Gato's death spread across the country like wildfire. Which meant there was no way in hell he could collect the payment he was promised for Gato's head. In the end it left him in a terrible mood, only made worse by the fact he was still missing his sword.

"Without my sword I have little chance of killing Kakashi and his brats, this has turned out terribly." Zabuza grumbled as he sat on his bed.

Next to him Haku simply nodded. "The loss of your sword is terrible but at least you're still alive Zabuza-sama."

Zabuza simply grunted in response.

"Indeed you should both be grateful for your lives." A voice called out from the door of the hut, drawing both Zabuza and Haku's gazes.

In the doorway stood one Naruto Uzumaki, he confidently strode in the hut, ignoring the death glares and killing intent that Zabuza was throwing his way.

Zabuza got up from his bed and pulled out a kunai. "So you've come to finish the job, I'm guessing your teacher is waiting outside with the rest of your team?" Zabuza asked suspiciously.

"I came alone." Responded Naruto as he stood in front of the two of them confidently.

"Brave." Said Zabuza. "But foolish, you got some sort of death wish?"

Naruto shook his head. "You couldn't kill me if you wanted to." He said confidently. "I actually came here to make peace and provide you with valuable information."

Zabuza was still suspicious but he decided to humor the boy, worst case scenario he killed the kid and dumped his body somewhere. Zabuza sat down on his bed but still clutched the kunai he had, he was ready if this turned out to be some sort of elaborate trap.

"Gato planned to betray you." Naruto pulled out a scroll from his pocket and threw it to the missing-nin. Zabuza checked the scroll over to make sure it wasn't booby-trapped. Once he was satisfied it was safe he opened it up and began to read its contents.

While Zabuza was reading Naruto turned to the other occupant of the room.

Haku was standing in the corner like a vigilant sentinel. Prepared to attack if Naruto so much as made a single hostile action. The blond simply winked at the ice-user

"So what's a beautiful girl like you doing working for a guy like this?" Naruto asked, trying to make small talk.

Zabuza simply chuckled while he was reading which made Naruto raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"What's so funny?"

Haku cleared his throat. "I'm actually a boy…." He mumbled, trying to hide his embarrassment.

Naruto's jaw dropped to the floor. "What? But your cuter then Sakura-chan!" He yelled, unable to contain his shock.

"Thanks…you look good to." Haku muttered awkwardly. "This appearance of mine tends to make people underestimate me, and the kimono breathes really well."

Any further conversation was cut short when Zabuza flung the scroll he was reading onto the ground in anger. "That fucking bastard, he was planning on betraying us from the very beginning." He muttered, letting out a tremendous amount of killing intent. He turned to Naruto. "He's lucky that you guys killed him, If I had been he one to get to him he would have suffered for even considering betraying me."

"You aren't the first." Added Naruto. "He betrayed pretty much every single Ninja who's ever worked for him. He also had documents with of information about you, I learned that the main reason you've been working so hard to make money is to raise enough funds for a second coup in Kirigakure. Your hope is to kill Yagura."

"Yeah that's right, what about it?' Zabuza asked.

"Yagura is dead." He said, shocking both Zabuza and Haku. "He was killed a year ago, bringing an end to the civil war. It's not surprising that you don't know, Kirigakure is an extremely isolated village and news rarely travels beyond those islands."

Zabuza was shocked, the regime he had fought against all those years ago was finally ended. "Who's is charge now?" he asked.

"A woman by the name of Terumi Mei, she led the resistance that toppled Yagura's regime." Naruto leaned back against the wall of the hut. "She is dedicated to rebuilding the strength of the village, she would accept you back with open arms if you returned. Having one of the Hidden Mist's seven swordsman return to service would be beneficial to rebuilding her village's strength."

Zabuza scoffed at the blondes words. "Yeah I guess she would accept me, we were comrades in arms once. But what the hell do you get out of all of this kid?" Zabuza asked suspiciously.

"Mei…" Haku said, remembering the name. "She is a bloodline user that means that the bloodline wars and persecution has truly ended?" He asked, not believing what he was hearing.

Naruto nodded. "It's pretty common knowledge for Leaf Ninja. The Hokage likes to keep us aware of the political climate around the world." Naruto turned to Zabuza. "As for what I want in exchange for this information…" Naruto pulled out another scroll. "This scroll contains numerous documents showing that Gato supported both sides of the Kirigakure civil war. Gato was a close business associate of the Water Daimyo, these documents would show him that Gato was a traitor and that us killing him wasn't an attack on the Land of Waters interests. It would prevent conflict between our villages. If you bring this scroll to Mei and have her show it to the Daimyo I would be grateful and I would consider us even."

Zabuza thought it over. It didn't sound so bad, it would be a good way to spit in the face of Gato one last time. "Fine, I'll do it. I don't like owing people things, so I'll do this as repayment for you killing Gato and telling me all this information."

"I'm glad." Naruto said, relief evident in his voice. "Also I believe you dropped this the last time we saw each other." Naruto pulled out a storage scroll and threw it to Zabuza. The swordsman opened up the scroll and saw his Kubikiribocho pop out of it. Zabuza grabbed the sword and gave it an experimental swing, there was no doubt the sword was his, it was a truly one of a kind weapon.

"You'd be a poor swordsman of the mist without it." Naruto said, happy that things turned out so well.

Zabuza chuckled. "Good of you to return it to me, otherwise I would have had to slaughter you and your team in order to get it." He said. "Say kid, how the hell did you know I'd be this reasonable? What would you have done if I had simply tried to kill you right off the bat?"

"I am a good judge of character, I knew you'd see reason." Naruto said happily. "Also you wouldn't have been able to kill me, after all. I was never here." Naruto suddenly turned into a cloud of smoke, revealing he was a shadow clone the entire time.

Zabuza chuckled at the blonde's antics, the kid wasn't so bad. "Heh, real stubborn brat. Pack up Haku, we're going home."

Haku nodded.

"Of course Zabuza-sama."

XXXXXXX

**3 days later**

Team 7 watched as Tazuna and numerous other residents of Wave gathered to finish the coronation of the bridge.

The bridge was amazing, a monument of engineering and sheer human determination. Tazuna stood in front of the bridge and the crowd, pride and happiness evident on his grizzled features.

"Today we commemorate the completion of this bridge of dreams. After discussing it with the village elders we have decided to name this bridge the Great Naruto Bridge!" Tazuna declared as gestured towards the bridge.

Naruto was speechless, while the rest of the team was laughing at the situation. Before they could congratulate Naruto, Tazuna took over and drew their attention once again.

"Naruto helped make the construction of this bridge possible thanks to his unique ninja techniques, but we still owe a great deal to the rest of the team. Using some of the money that these ninjas claimed from Gato, I had these commissioned." He gestured to a spot right next to the entrance to the bridge. Team 7 saw a large tarp over something big. Team 7 was suspicious since in all the days they had been assisting with the bridge they never noticed it before. Whatever it was it must have been brought in overnight. Their curiosity was sated when Tazuna lifted the tarp and revealed four large statues, each one bearing the teams likeness.

"These statues will forever remind us of the heroes who made this bridge possible, and they will no doubt bring great luck and fortune upon anyone crossing the bridge."

Every member of Team 7 was shocked. There was a statue of Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all carved in the perfect likeness of each member of the team, down to the smallest detail. Each member of the team walked up to their statues and began to analyze them.

Behind them the crowd of Wave citizens were cheering, and Tazuna and his family walked up to personally thank them.

"Didn't think we'd let you leave with just a few kind words did ya?" Tazuna asked, drawing the attention of the team. "Paid one of the local masons to carve it, he used to be an artisan until Gato took over. I bought the best stone for them."

While his students were checking out their statues Kakashi turned to Tazuna. "Thank you Tazuna, this wasn't necessary." He said kindly. "We were merely doing our jobs."

Tazuna laughed. "Bah you did more than your jobs. We also have a few parting presents for ya." He said, while his daughter walked up to them, holding several parcels with her.

"We still don't have much money but we found some truly strong durable fabrics on Gato's ship. Some of the village's best seamstresses worked to make these for you." She handed each of member of the team a cloak, the type of cloak a shinobi might wear to avoid rain when out on a mission. They were long and could cover the entire body if necessary and they even had hoods.

Kakashi's was green and had the symbol of Konohagakure upon it. It fit him perfectly, despite his rather tall frame.

Naruto's was a beautiful dark orange and emblazed with black flames around the bottom edges of the cloak. On the back was a red Uzumaki spiral, and the cloak was also long enough so that he could grow into it.

Sasuke's was black, and fit him perfectly, leaving just enough extra length so that he could grow into it. It had the Uchiha clan symbol sewed into the back, which made him appreciate the kind gesture immensely.

Sakura's was a dark red, almost bordering on blood red. But that didn't detract from its beauty, on the back of her cloak was the kanji for 'medic'. A title she had earned when she spent the last few weeks using her medical skills to help the sick of Wave Country. Most of the doctors had left the country during Gato's reign so she spent her time healing those in need.

Each of them thanked Tsunami and put on their new cloaks.

Next was numerous people from the country thanking them individually, It took thirty minutes to finish saying goodbye to everyone. Team 7 was anxious to leave but the people of Wave wouldn't let them go without showing their gratitude.

Numerous girls were thanking Sasuke and asking him out on dates. Sakura wanted to protest and attack them but she found that she had an equal amount of male admirers amongst the wave population.

Naruto was drinking in the attention. He received several gifts from female admirers and even got a few kisses on his cheek by a few pretty girls.

Once they said their goodbyes all four of them walked off across the Great Naruto Bridge, heading back home to Konoha.

XXXXXXX

After the first day of traveling the three of them made camp for the night. They were still two days from Konoha but there was no rush, all information had been sent ahead by messenger hawk.

After a simple dinner Naruto felt Kurama's presence in his mind, it meant the fox wanted to talk. He entered his spiritual world and found the Fox waiting for him.

"It's been awhile since you wanted to talk Kurama." Naruto said as he approached the fox. "We haven't spoken for over a week. You've been extremely silent."

Kurama let out a deep sigh**. "Look kid, I just wanted to say…."** He paused, trying to find the right words. **"About our talk before that mission of yours, the things you said…." **

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "You have to be more specific, we talked about a lot of things." He had never seen the Kitsune at a loss for words before, it was confusing.

Kurama let out a frustrated sigh.** "I just wanted you to know that some of the things you say aren't complete bullshit."** He muttered**. "Sometimes that wad of tapioca you call a brain has a few smart thoughts, allowing you to make a good point every once in a while." **

Silence reigned for several seconds until Naruto let out a chuckle.

"That's the most backhanded compliment I've ever heard in my life, and it's probably the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

Kurama snorted**. "Yeah well don't get used to it."** He turned a stern gave onto his jinchuriki. **"I don't know whether what you did to Gato was right. Perhaps it will all work out for the better, or perhaps there will be unforeseen consequences."**

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Yeah well, I couldn't just let a guy like that get away with doing such evil things. I didn't want to kill him but it was necessary."

Kurama nodded. **"Indeed, peace cannot be achieved without bloodshed. Someone who can't sacrifice anything, can never change anything. You proved you were willing to sacrifice your innocence, and even your humanity in order to achieve your goal." **

"It almost sounds like you respect me now." Joked Naruto.

"**You fascinate me."** He replied. **"You are determined to change this world, and you are willing to sacrifice everything in order to do so. Like this mission in Wave. I expected you to back out, or lose your will to fight when you met with true adversity and tough decisions. I believed that the act of killing would break you. Instead you held firm to your beliefs and fought an army of enemies, and prevailed. You didn't hesitate to take life when it was necessary."** He explained. **"I'm older then the rocks that make up this world, and even I didn't see that coming." **

"Yeah well I am an unpredictable guy, I'm full of surprises." Said Naruto happily. "But you don't need to be shy Kurama, we've known each other for years. Just say it, you enjoy being my friend."

Kurama growled in frustration.

"**Out of all the humans I've met throughout my existence….I hate you the least."** He said, trying his best to sound hateful but failing horribly.

"I knew you cared."

"**Oh shut up. I'd still kill you if I ever got the chance." **

"I love you too."

XXXXXXX

**Authors note**

20,278 words. For you non-writers that's 40 pages of work.

I also require a beta reader, these chapters are too long for me to correct and edit by myself. I need a grammar Nazi who can help fix my tendency to have run-on sentences and various other grammar and spelling mistakes. I'm looking through the beta-reader section of the site, but I figure I might as well put up a notice here. I cannot stress this enough, I need someone who can fix my grammar.

Amazing response from the last chapter. You guys are the best. Your numerous reviews are what kept me typing this chapter out.

I really hoped you like this chapter, I made some risky changes and its so long that there's many interactions that I hope weren't OOC or weird. So many variables.

Entire Wave arc done in one chapter. My original plan was to cut this into two 10,000 word chapters but everyone seems to like the long chapters so I decided to give you all the whole shebang.

Lots of killing in this chapter, I always felt it odd that the main cast really never killed many people. Naruto wasn't against killing, he attacked people with the intent to kill all the time, and he just never succeeded in doing it. Apparently the only person he killed in the manga was one of Sasoris spy's, just some random red shirt. Some of you might think they got over their grief quickly, but trust me when i say they will be feeling the guilt.

So many things with this chapter. I made Gato more of a threat and added a political dimension to it, I hope it wasn't weird for you guys. Also this isn't the last time we see Zabuza or Haku, I wouldn't spare them without a reason.

Also the fight scenes were hard to write. Three Genin against an army of thugs, I hope it was believable. I think it worked given the teams skill level, and the fact the thugs were weak as hell. They wouldn't give Genin C-ranks if they couldn't dispatch bandits with ease.

Some people have claimed I used chakra chains wrong, look there is practically no info on the technique, so I reserve the right to take creative liberties in how things work. But I appreciate your feedback regardless.

One anonymous reviewer said I ripped off princess Mononoke in my last chapter. I paid tribute to it, I even asked in the A/N whether people got the reference. When I was writing demon animals I couldn't help but put in a demon boar. Also this is fanfiction, accept the fact that I'm going to be drawing from numerous sources.

A response to reviewer mfmxxx, you have PM disabled so I have to respond to you via A/N. You are right that I made Kushina a bit OOC but I believe it was believable. I think she understood that Kurama needed to overcome his anger, it's just that her fiery personality kept her from ever becoming friends with Kurama. Also you claim that Mito Uzumaki didn't try to understand Kurama, and that she thought the fox was an abomination. Where the hell did you get that from? Mito is an unexplored character, but in the manga she gets this line of dialogue when Kurama is remembering her, _"If you use your power, only hatred will come from it. Stay tranquil deep inside me._" That line seems to indicate that she wanted Kurama to overcome his intense hatred. I think Kurama simply hated her since she was the one who sealed him away.

Also some people are complaining about all the movie quotes and whatnot. I understand your annoyance but I love pop culture and movie quotes. It's a common theme in all my stories. So sorry if you don't like it but I enjoy making references, I try to blend them into the world so they don't shatter immersion. Also kudos to you if you can point out all the references I made in this chapter.

Also one reviewer claimed that I was a fool for not knowing that mullet is a salt water fish. First off Mullet is a blanket term for numerous species of fish, and there are numerous subgroups, most are saltwater, but there are several species that can survive in brackish and fresh water. I live in Hawaii, I know my fish species. I go diving regularly. Also I spent a semester studying aboard in japan, the ponds they have in parks typically have Tilapia, Mullet, Ayu, and Koi. Don't mess with me when it comes to fish.

Also people point out my lack of ability when it comes to the Japanese language. Its true that I'm not good with it, which is sad considering I'm complete Japanese, but I was born in Hawaii so I don't know much of the language. If you notice me misuse something in regards to the language please point it out in a review or a PM. Also I made up the romanji for Earth Style dome, please inform me of the true romanji, I used google translate which means it's guaranteed to be wrong.

Next chapter will take a long time, I'm not sure how I want to do the next chapter. The Chunnin exams are coming so we have that to look forward to.

In the end I appreciate all the support, the response to the last chapter was overwhelming and I hope to get more feedback for this chapter. Did you love it? Hate it? Why and why not? Please leave a review since they help encourage me and help me grow as a writer.


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